


Ethereal

by Sinncity



Series: Ethereal Universe [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Video Blogging & YouTube RPF
Genre: Developing Relationships, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, Humans with supernatural abilities, M/M, alternative universe, established relationships - Freeform, super powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-25
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-02-10 08:48:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 72,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2018700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinncity/pseuds/Sinncity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU- Super powers. Dan’s not normal. In fact, he’s never met a single person exactly like him. No one else can move objects with their mind, just by a simple thought. He lives life carefully, limited interactions and semi-non-existent social life. That is, until a pair of sapphire eyes change everything. Dan Howell/Phil Lester, PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my brand new story and for once its gonna be chaptered. Basically I'm a giant sucker for stories involving supernatural abilities so this was created. Hope you enjoy :)

Dan’s heard the cardinal rule a lot of different times.

His mother says “Be careful-- just because you have powers doesn’t mean you have to use them.” His father on the other hand, drills into him, “No one can ever know.”

His parents are as supportive as Dan could hope for. Maybe because they can’t deny everything they’ve seen even though it’s not exactly along the realms of possible.  They’re more protective than other parents, but that’s only because they _have_ to be.

Dan knows that he isn’t exactly normal; in fact he’s never met a single person exactly like him. No one else can move objects with their mind. No one can make whole rooms shake when they get angry, rattle curtains, break glass. No one can, except Dan.

-

The first time Dan’s family notices something is different is when he’s five. It isn’t anything particularly abnormal for a young child; Dan really, really wanted the cookies on top of the fridge. He’s too small to reach, his tiny fingers only reaching three quarters of the way up even as he stands on a chair. What was abnormal however was as Dan got close to tears; the jar seemed to gravitate towards him on its own accord. 

At first his mother hadn’t believed him, Dan swears it was true; but the broken pieces of the jar scattered over the floor doesn’t prove anything.

The next time occurs about three months after the first incident and this time Dan’s parents can’t deny it. His mother was pouring milk into Dan’s cereal, bottle sitting up on the edge of the table. It happens to Dan as if in slow motion, one moment his mother turns around, elbow out, accidently knocking the bottle on its side. The next moment Dan’s hands move outwards, as if he’s reaching forward to grab it. His hands don’t reach, falling short of the bottle but the milk never reaches the ground. Dan’s muscles lock in place, freezing as the contents liquid pools around mid-air. His mum lets out a gasp and Dan instantly drops his hands, the liquid no longer defying gravity and falling towards the floor with a loud splash.

There was no denying it after that. His mother had been worried, almost frantic for a while, somehow managing to explain to her husband that their child had just defied the laws of physics. After all, it’s not every day that you discover that your son has an ability only ever described about in books or shows on TV.

Dan’s parents make him promise to not do it again, but he can’t always help it. Sometimes the urge to move things is too strong. It ticks away in his mind, the images of swirling and twirling movement.  He can’t always control it, it just happens.

The first time Dan really screws up he isn’t exactly aware of it. He’s sitting in the sand box, building castles with the sand. All he wants to do is play and the grains of sand are so tiny and soft. Dan runs his fingers under the surface; lifting the sand up in his cupped hand and watching it fall back down. A sensation washes over him and he can picture it moving around him, twisting in front of him in a circular motion; gliding through the air as if it weighs nothing.

He isn’t sure at which point his imagination becomes a reality, his eyes are transfixed, watching the grains lift from his palm and twirl around in front of him. A giggle passes through his lips as more sand rises, accompanying the others. It looks almost like a hurricane, twisting together in a tight circular motion.

“Wow!” A small voice speaks up from beside Dan, “how are you doing that?!”

Dan jolts back a little and the sand falls back down.  A boy is sitting beside him, mouth gapping and blue eyes wide.

“Oh no, do it again! Please, it’s so cool!” The boy smiles at him, bright and wide and slightly pleading. “It’s so magical! I’ve never seen someone do that before.”

Dan hesitates, before looking back at the sand and imagining it moving in similar fashion to how it had before. The boy moves his hand out, as if to touch it and Dan responds by letting the sand float across the others hand, winding around his wrist and arms loosely. No one apart from Dan’s parents has ever seen him do this and it fills Dan with a sense of happiness that he’s never truly felt before.

It doesn’t last long though; a second hand appears from the other side of him, a girl. Dan flinches backwards, as does the boy beside him, sand flying towards the girl instead of just dropping this time. A piercing scream fills the air as girl stands in front of them; rubbing her eyes and tears rolling down her checks. There is sand scattered on her clothing, starting to stick in clumps as the tears roll down her eyes. She lets off another high pitched scream, this time with her mother’s name attached.  Sobs fill the air and Dan recoils, crawling backwards.

“It was an accident,” Dan yelps, putting his hands up in front of him as to prove his innocence.

“Daniel,” his mother’s voice is tight and demanding as she pulls him up from the ground, quickly removing him from the sandbox and pulling him away from the park.

 “Wait!” The other boy scrambles to his feet. Dan turns, trying to watch, but his mother gives his arm a small jerk and Dan knows that he made a mistake, he _hurt_ someone.

-

It changes from then on. Dan sort of thinks of it as an equivalent exchange; don’t use your powers around normals, because normals don’t understand, normals can’t defend themselves.

So Dan listens to his parents, mostly, stays inside a lot. He practices, gets a handle on how it works, on how to control himself a bit better. He keeps quiet, keeps his head down low and doesn’t attract attention. It’s easier this way and although it might not be the best way to live, it works.

That’s how Dan lives, limited social life, practically zero friends and an outcast. That’s him.

That’s him, until, it isn’t.

 


	2. Run, Run, Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy reading the first official chapter, it's shorter then all the others, I swear every time I write they gradually increase without me even meaning for it to happen. Thanks for reading!

Dan decides that the problem with super powers is that it makes most people believe they’re invincible. It happens all the time in movies. The protagonists have all these great abilities, can do all these great things and people love them for it, then they almost die trying to save the world. Or at the very least, something somewhat similar.

They never actually die though, because it’s a movie; the hero always beats the villain and sometimes, if they are unlucky, they lose a few friends in the process. Not that Dan exactly has that many people to lose of course. His list consists of his family, Chris and PJ, which in hindsight might seem like it needs improvement, but given Dan’s current situation, he’ll take what he can get. He has a few secrets too, but that’s sort of a given. In fact it’s probably one of the reasons as to why his phone contacts only consist of around five numbers. Not everyone would be understanding if they saw him say, levitate a chair just by imagining it happening.

Dan finds him contemplating this all too much recently. This whole massively weird situation he’s in. There are others like him, if Chris and PJ are anything to go by. But for all he knows they might actually be the only three in the world that can do the semi-impossible. Which is of course, actually entirely possible. Not many people know that, though.

He shoves his hands behind his head and sighs, staring at the ceiling above him. It’s not like he’s really anything similar to the people you read about in books or in the movies you see on TV; in fact the similarities sort of stop at the fact that he has super powers, if you’d even call them that. Dan doesn’t have a cape, or go by normal person during the day and a vigilante by night. Dan doesn’t save the day, in fact, he sort of doesn’t even use his ability at all.

“Something wrong, Howell?” Chris’ voice questions from beside him. Chris’ question halters Dan’s thoughts, making him glance over and roll his eyes in response.

“If PJ catches you doing that in his house, he’s going to kill you.” Dan replies, pushing himself up onto his elbows and turning his head in order to get a better look at Chris. 

“I’d like to see him try,” Chris retorts, a small smirk forming on his lips. “I already shut the blinds, what more can he ask for?”

Dan watches the orange flames glow on Chris’s palm. As much as he wishes to deny Chris any sort of ego boost, the flames he produces are almost hypnotic. Pulling and swirling on his palm, sometimes glowing different shades of orange, red and blue that Dan didn’t even believe was possible. It’s probably one of the quirks of being able to control the element itself. Every time Chris does anything to do with his ability Dan feels slightly enchanted, like he is truly witnessing the impossible.

“How about, not burning the house down?” Dan jokes and he can feel Chris recoil in defence. It’s a bit of a sore spot for him. Neither of their development has come easily and Chris’ was probably the worst. After all, controlling fire power at the age of eight wasn’t exactly the easiest thing for child to do.  A temper tantrum that causes objects to go up in flames is not exactly in the parent guideline, and unfortunately for Chris’ family, it happened quite a lot.

Chris lets out a groan, closing his fists and extinguishing the flame in the process. “Seriously, it was one time. When I was younger and lacked any sort of self-control.”

“Is that you implying that you have self-control now?” PJ’s voice chimes from the doorway, bag of chips in hand. “Because I have several arguments suggesting otherwise. For example, last week when you tried to boil water yourself and almost ended up exploding your parent’s kettle.”

Dan lets out a small laugh and Chris waves his hand in the air dismissingly. “Okay, well I’m still working on some things. How about instead of debating how awesome my complete flame control will be one day, and if we’re being honest here, we all know that it _will be great_ ; you be a good boyfriend and open those salt and vinegar chips. Because I for one, really, really want to eat them.”

PJ chucks the packet towards Chris’s head, smacking him directly in the face.

“Was that really necessary?” Chris mumbles, opening the crisp packet and frowning slightly. “You broke them, ya know. How am I going to make a wish on the double layered chips _now?_ ”

Dan raises an eyebrow, ignoring his ending statement and reaches for the packet himself, “the answer to that is always going to be _yes_. It’s practically encouraged.”

Chris shoves a bunch of chips into his mouth like it’s some sort of retaliation.  For some unknown reason Chris has better control over flames themselves then actual temperature gauging, like producing hot air, which personally Dan finds slightly ironic because that is one thing Chris is definitely full of. He guesses in the scheme of things, controlling fire and being able to cause things to self-combust with just a thought is slightly cooler than being able to manipulate whether a room is hot or cold. Not that Chris has anyone to actually flaunt it too. Dan supposes it’s the same sort of limitation he has. He can move pretty much any object with his mind but he can’t move a physical presence, like an actual person or animal. All it takes is a thought; and if he’s being honest sometimes it even feels like a need, for the object to bend or move to Dan’s every whim. Generally the rule for him consists of the smaller it is, the easier it is; as long as it doesn’t walk, talk or breathe. 

PJ sits himself on the edge on his bed, legs crossed and arms by his side. He’s calm; always having this sort of energy radiating off him. It’s not really noticeable; it’s more just a part of him. Dan could even go as far as to say it appears to be a part of his nature. He isn’t even sure if other people notice it, in fact he doubts that they do. This in hindsight makes about as much sense as everything else. It makes Dan wonder that maybe somehow a person’s abilities reflect their personality. Or at least both PJs and Chris’ do. He’s not exactly sure what telekinesis falls under.

Dan’s phone goes off in his pocket, his alarm letting him know that he needs to be home before it gets too late and his parents start freaking out. The over protective nature they had when he was a child has unfortunately continued into Dan’s later years of high school.

“I got to go,” Dan proclaims, pushing himself up from the ground and grabbing his jacket previously hanging on the corner of PJs bedframe. “I’ll text you tomorrow.”

“It’s supposed to rain soon, do you want a lift?” PJ questions and Dan shakes his head in response.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. It’s not that far.”

“You sure?”

Dan almost chuckles at his overly concerned nature. He supposes maybe that’s also to do with PJ’s powers. “I’m fine Peej. Have fun with Chris.”

“Is that a challenge?” PJ asks with a grin on his face and Dan just smirks in response.

“We’re going to make out now!” Chris calls out as soon as Dan walks through the doorway. Dan lets out a laugh as he hears Chris’ cry of pain, un-doubtfully due to PJ elbowing him in the side. In a weird way Dan thinks they are kind of perfect for each other.

However, when Dan steps outside and is met by a rush of cold air and a small drizzle, he almost wants to go back inside and take PJ up on his previous offer, just to spite Chris.

-

It’s been a long time since Dan’s felt a sensation as strong as this. It burns through him, aches almost. It’s a surge of power that’s spreads though his body; tingles from his fingers down to his toes. It’ almost uncontrollable, itching to get out.

It’s a warning.

The rain pours down, thunder rolling in the distance, almost drowning out the heavy clad footsteps following close behind. High walls of brick stand parallel to each other in a confining manor, the various objects on the floor sidesbarely visible. He isn’t exactly sure when he noticed he was being followed, but an uncontrollable need to escape fills him up completely.

Dan can hear them now, footsteps drawing closer; _too close_.

A strong hand grips Dan’s shoulder, tugging him to the side. Dan stumbles, the air ripping from his lungs as he falls to the ground. Dan can see them now, all three of them caging him in from the entrance way he previously used. A smirk fills the face of the one closest to him, jaded green eyes cutting through the dark. Dan notices it then, the silver metallic object glistening though the rain, held by the guy standing furthest to the right.

Dan’s legs push against the ground, urging him to get back up. He feels heavy, weighed down by the rain and fear that courses though his body. He’s going to be robbed and probably murdered. Although Dan matches two of them in height, he definitely doesn’t match them in strength.  The man with the knife steps forward and suddenly Dan feels it again, the sense of power coursing through his veins at an uncontrollable rate.  This time it’s different, it isn’t just a warning.

The knife flings from the man’s hands, falling against the side of the wall with a loud clatter.

“What the…?” The man previously holding the deadly object takes a step back, his eyes flickering between Dan and the knife. The other two stand frozen and panic rises in Dan’s chest again as he finally manages to pull himself up, slipping slightly on the wet floor. He presses himself up against the brick wall, creating as much space between himself and the others as possible.

His movement seems to finally snap them out of their daze, the guy previously closest to Dan takes some cautious steps forward and the others follow in long strides with fists clenched, closing Dan in from any means of escape. The guy in the middle reaches back for the knife. Dan’s eyes widen and he acts on impulse, power surging though him once more.

The blue dumpster at the side of the entrance way moves towards the others as if on its own accord, whipping them towards the other side of the alleyway. Dan hears a loud crack as they hit the wall, breath catching in his throat. The man on the end lets out a loud groan and Dan pushes the force forward again, moving the object tighter and leaving no room for the man to escape.

His attacker lets out a loud wheezing sound and Dan knows that he can’t breathe; the bin is so tightly pressed against them that the other two have already lost consciousness.

It seems like an eternity before the final man hunches downwards. Dan moves the dumpster backwards, the three men falling down onto the floor. Dan takes a cautious step forward, his mind racing with only one thought. He can barely see the rising of their chests, _but it’s there._

Slight relief floods through Dan, shoulders sinking downwards and he feels as though he might almost collapse. Dan glances towards the entrance and his eyes go almost impossibly wide, because he isn’t alone. There is someone else with him in the alleyway.

The boy’s ebony hair is stuck to his forehead, weighed down by the laden rain drops. He’s clenched against the wall, the dumpster previously hiding his form ripped away with the power currently coursing through Dan’s body.

Dan stands there, his body locking into place. The boys blue eyes are vibrant, contrasting against the darkness and suddenly the urgency and rawness of the previous fight floods from Dan’s body. There is familiarity there, something ticking at the back of Dan’s mind that he can’t quite place.

Dan takes a step back, eyes locking with the guy in front of him before glancing at the three males lying unconscious on the ground.

Then he runs.

 

 


	3. Locked On

Dan makes it home in record time. His breath is coming out in short bursts as he shoots through the front door and stumbles into his bedroom, closing the door behind him hastily. Panic fills his body once again. He’s not exactly sure if the anxiety currently coursing through his form is due to the fact he was almost mugged and could have been stabbed, or that a guy saw him, _really saw him_ and everything he did. Either way he feels almost as if he is suffocating. His heart beating a million miles a minute because _what am I going to do now?_

He can’t think clearly. His clothes are soaking wet and sticking to his body, but it’s the last thing on his mind. Dan tells himself to take deep breaths. His fists clench at his sides and he drops to the floor. He’s okay. He’s safe now and no one can get to him. No one is going to believe three criminals and that boy with the raven hair.

Dan doesn’t understand though. That boy had just been waiting there, watching the whole thing play out. He looked terrified, but for some reason Dan couldn’t help but think that it was less to do with himself and his abilities and more to do with the situation as a whole. There was recognition, possibly; almost like he was verifying something in a way. His eyes shone blue, wide and afraid but Dan was almost certain that it actually wasn’t from Dan himself.

Dan sighs, unravelling himself from his previous position on the floor and pulling himself back onto his feet. He begins to rid himself of his wet clothing, peeling his jacket from his form. He’s shaking and it’s unclear whether it is actually from the cold or the left over adrenalin from the fight. He wanders into the main bathroom as quietly as his shaking form allows him, his parents seem to be asleep and he doesn’t want to wake them up and explain this whole messed up situation.

He rids himself from the rest of his clothing, turning the water on and jumping in before the temperature has even reached warm. The drops roll off from his body and Dan can’t quite distinguish between what’s rain and what isn’t.  Dan closes his eyes, tilting his head towards the shower head as it begins to heat up. He lets the water fall over his shoulders, small throbbing sensations aching over his body. He can see bruises forming all over; a large one on his lower right side just above the hip and another large one forming on his shoulder, assumedly from where he’d been grabbed. Smaller ones scatter his body, more prominent on his legs and lower back. There are also a few cuts on his knees, which probably tore holes into his new pair of jeans.

The weight of the situation falls onto his chest, pulling him down but for some reason at that moment, he can’t bring himself to care. All he can think about is how the water somehow seems to wash away his thoughts, drowning out his fears as if they never existed in the first place. He doesn’t want to think anymore.

-

Sleep doesn’t come easily to Dan. He tosses and turns so much that his sheets become so twisted they fall off the bed. He can hear his parents moving around downstairs, assumedly getting ready for work. Dan is half torn between going downstairs and blurting out the entire situation or curling himself back up into a ball and staying in bed.

The latter option sounds much more appealing, after all his parents would probably freak out in the worst way possible. He can’t take that risk. He needs to get ready for school. If his parents knew something like last night’s events happened they would pull him from school, no exceptions and no excuses. That is definitely one thing that Dan does not want to happen. Despite many other children thinking that being pulled out of school is a dream, it took years for Dan to convince his parents that he could be around others. Convince them that he could control himself; no longer needing to stay at home all the time and be home-schooled, proving to his parents that he doesn’t need to be confined.

Dan’s best bet is to get himself up, look somewhat presentable and go to school. He’ll be able to mention it to Chris and PJ; they are a much safer bet in regards to understanding the situation than his parents are. Not that Dan really has a choice when it comes to that anyway. PJ’s bound to know when something is off; he can read Dan better than the average person, especially if they are people he has never met them before. That’s sort of how he works; the more PJ knows someone, the easier it is to sense things.

The rest of the morning seems to go too quickly and it’s not long before Dan finds himself walking the familiar paths among the school halls. Usually he meets Chris and PJ before class, but he’s been distracted all morning and if he takes any longer he isn’t even going to make it to class in time. Besides he’d rather discuss this whole situation at lunch rather than the 10 minutes that the three of them usually have before class.

Dan takes his usual seat; middle row by the window. Generally the window seat enables Dan a sort of weird sense of freedom. It’s less confining than the other areas within the classroom and once he finishes his work, looking outside is a sort of distraction from everything else. He gets a strange sense of satisfaction as he watches the grass move and the leaves fall. It’s almost like he’s doing it himself. Dan’ not though, because the number one rule is to not use abilities in public; of course that doesn’t stop him from feeling like he can, imagining himself moving the littlest things. No one would notice that the leaves swirl just that little bit more in the wind. Dan almost bets that no one would even notice them swirling without any wind at all.

He pulls out his notebook, intent on not being distracted today. He has had more than enough time to think and for once, concentrating on his studies seems a lot better than having any more time to contemplate everything else.

First period flows by thanks to his teacher’s immense work load and before Dan knows he’s sitting in a similar seat for his next class. English Lit isn’t exactly what Dan would say is his favourite class but it seemed a lot better than some of the other options. Besides, he’s always had an interest in words; taken a sort of pride in articulating the English language with a wide vocabulary that surprisingly, not many teenagers his age use. The rest of the students filter in and Dan pulls his gaze from the window, focusing on the front of the class.

It’s then he notices something’s different. He gets this itching feeling, like he can feel something, _someone_ looking at him. It crawls up his spine and makes him shiver. He frowns slightly, looking to the side of the class whilst shifting in his seat. Dan’s eyes widen slightly as he takes in a familiar shape. Black hair cut in a similar fashion to Dan’s own and vibrant blue eyes, which are just as wide as Dan’s own in disbelief.

Dan tremors in his seat slightly; it’s definitely the boy from last night. The image is burned into his head, swirling round on repeat. He pulls his gaze away, turning back to the front of the class, fists clenching at his desk. He doesn’t know how to feel, or more importantly what to _think._

He hasn’t even seen this guy before and all of a sudden he shows up in his class after witnessing last night’s events. A small burst of anxiety fills his chest. If he told someone, Dan could be in a lot of trouble. Of course, maybe no one would believe him. The scenario isn’t exactly something that the average person would ever come across.

Dan resists the urge to turn back around and look at him, focusing on the front of the class room instead. He takes deep breaths, calming himself down in the process.

“Is everything okay, Dan?” Mrs Whitburn asks at the front of the class. Dan almost wants to face plant into the desk. If the raven haired guy didn’t know Dan’s name before, he definitely does now.

“Uh-yeah, I’m fine.” Dan replies, pulling himself together and picking up his pen. He almost wants to kick himself. He should have said he was sick and insisted on leaving class; but of course he didn’t think of that. Then again, maybe it would seem like yesterday’s events didn’t mean anything. That Dan won’t let this boy get to him. Dan doubts it though, but judging by the boy’s reaction he hadn’t exactly expected to run into Dan again either.

The rest of the class goes agonizingly slowly and Dan has to consciously stop himself from looking backwards more than once. When the bell for break sounds, Dan wastes no time to scoop up his books and almost runs for the door. He makes it out of the classroom before anyone else does.

-

“Dan?” PJ’s voices rings out and Dan’s head snaps in his general direction. PJ can tell already that something isn’t right. Dan’s sure that he practically radiates apprehension by this point. “What’s wrong?”

Chris follows closely beside him, eyebrows raised. “I don’t have to be able to gauge moods or emotions to know something’s got you all twisted.”

Dan isn’t exactly sure where to start. “There’s a guy here, who sort of saw me using telekinesis.”

There’s a pause of silence and Dan almost wants to melt into the ground. He almost doubts this situation could get any worse.

“Fucking what?” Chris proclaims, followed closely by a more sensible response from PJ, “what do you mean, saw you using telekinesis?”

Dan takes a deep breath and points to the ground beside him, indicating for the others to sit next to him. “I was walking home last night and I’m not even _sure_ _how it happened_. But there were three guys who attacked me; they chased me into this alleyway. One of them had a knife and I didn’t exactly have a choice. When it was over there was this guy practically pinned against the wall and he’d seen the whole thing.”

“Jesus, Dan.” Chris mumbles and suddenly Dan feels all the apprehension and stress drift out of him. He is completely positive that it is PJ’s doing. He’s never been so thankful for PJ’s gift before.

PJ stares at him, in the sort of fashion he does when he’s thinking. “How come you didn’t call us or something? God, you could have been seriously hurt. We could have stayed the night or something. You must have been terrified.”

“I dunno, I wasn’texactly thinking straight.”

Dan is now though; he feels more relaxed than he has in a while, PJ is literally peeling all his worry away. If only he could remove Dan’s problems as well. To be honest, Dan would probably start swearing at this point; he has a bad habit in general, but at the moment all his worry is pretty much non-existent.  

“What happened to the guys that attacked you?” PJ asks.

Dan leans back on his hands, stretching his feet out on front of him, “knocked them unconscious with the dumpster the guy was hiding behind.”

“You _moved a dumpster?”_ Chris questions, his voiced filled with some kind of awe. His eyes are wide and he stares at Dan a little in disbelief. “That’s kind of awesome and a little bit badass.”

“Chris,” PJ says a hint of warning in his tone.

Chris shrugs, “It kind of is, though. Have you ever moved something like that before? With enough force to knock someone unconscious, let alone three people.”

Another small silence fills the air and PJ frowns slightly. “He’s right, actually.”

“Of course I am,” Chris mutters somewhat triumphantly and Dan almost chuckles when PJ rolls his eyes.

“It was weird. I didn’t even really think; it just sort of happened.” Dan states, running a hand though his hair. He can remember it clearly. The force of power that pushed through his body had been stronger than he had ever felt before. He felt for once like he didn’t need to worry about control. He felt like he could have ripped down a building at the moment, power surging though his veins.

“What about the other guy? The one who saw you?” PJ asks, however Dan has no idea how to really answer.

“I’d never seen him before; at least, I don’t think I have.” Dan replies and it’s not his greatest response. But for some reason, he can’t exactly shake the feeling that he _does_ know this guy.

“You don’t think?” Chris asks, giving Dan a look like he has more than one head. Dan thinks that is probably an accurate response, after all, this whole situation ispretty unbelievable.

“No I mean, I feel like there is something familiar about him but it’s probably nothing. It all happened so quickly that I’m probably just getting confused.”

PJ nods and pulls the sleeves of his jumper down. “I don’t really know what you should do. I suppose you should just pretend like it never happened and pray that you never come across any of them again.”

Dan’s shoulders slump down. “The guy who saw it is in my English Lit class.”

“Well, _fuck_.” Chris says and Dan’s sure he speaks on behalf of all of them.

-

The rest of the day goes smoothly and somehow Dan feels like the entire situation has lifted off his shoulders. He feels less heavy, like the weight of the past 24 hours has shifted.  He doesn’t have another class with the mystery boy, much to his relief and even if he had, Chris shares two of his classes while PJ shares the other one.

Dan stumbles with the strap of his backpack, pulling them forward so it sits a little bit higher on his back.  He has a fair bit of homework to do tonight, which he doesn’t know whether to be happy or un-happy about. As long as he gets home safely, then anything is alright by him at this point.

PJ’s advice had been to just ignore him. Act as though it never happened, because it isn’t like any sane person would actually believe something like last night’s events could actually happen. Dan’s hoping that what he says will turn out to be true.

Dan moves towards the school entrance but as he reaches the gates, he soon regrets it.  

He was standing there. Blue eyes and checked shirt, waiting for Dan to leave. Brown eyes lock with blue and suddenly, Dan knows it’s too late.

He is so fucked.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, things get a little more interesting ;)


	4. Walks and Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My excitement for this chapter is slightly immense because it finally has Phil in it. Look forward to seeing a bit more of him in the future ;)  
> Thanks for all the comments, kudos, follows and bookmarks. I'm so glad you are enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it.

Dan wants to move, he urges his body to turn around and run, but for some reason he can't. He stands there frozen, muscles locked into place. Chocolate orbs locked with sapphire and Dan can't seem to avert his gaze. He wills himself to do something. Take a step backwards, look away,  _do anything._  But his thoughts are all jumbled and screaming at him to do too many different things at once that he can't quite contemplate this next move.

He stands still, watching as the figure before him bites the corner of his lip and take a hesitant step forward. These actions are the only incentive Dan needs to make up his mind and suddenly he feels in control again, his legs pushing him towards the right and round a group of other students. Dan rushes though the gate, weaving through students as fast as he can.

The familiar walk home is done in a rushed pace, that is until Dan realises that heading towards his house might not be the smartest idea. After all, the guy could follow him and find out where Dan lives and then the situation would be a whole lot worse. He takes a sharp left, the opposite way to his house and towards the local park. The thought of safety in numbers crosses Dan's mind and what better place to try to lay low than an area filled with other children and teenagers.

Dan almost laughs at the thought. Never in his seventeen years did he imagine that he would ever have to think something like that.

He slows his pace down, breath slightly puffed from his previous speed. He has never been the fittest person but maybe after everything that has happened recently a bit more exercise might be a wise investment. Dan closes his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply and attempting to relax. He wishes he had PJ here again; he could really do with some tension draining and possibly some company. Maybe heading home by himself wasn't the brightest idea.

"Dan?" An unfamiliar voice speaks up from in front of him and Dan's eyes snap open, focusing on the figure standing before him. Dan silently curses himself for being so stupid. He should have kept walking, not stopped and fucking day dreamed.

"It is Dan, right?"

The guy smiles slightly at Dan as he says it and Dan takes a small step backwards as the words leave his mouth. Up this close Dan can get a better look at him; vibrant blue eyes that seem to shine in a way Dan didn't think was possible. He was pale, black hair slightly ruffled from what Dan could only assume was due to the briskness of his walking in order to keep up with Dan's attempted get-away.

"Yeah," Dan mumbles and he almost wants to hit himself, because he shouldn't be talking to this guy. He feels like he doesn't have much of a choice at this point, after all he was sort of pursued and doesn't have the option of leaving without causing some sort of scene. He swallows and pulls out any sort of courage he has left; maybe there is a chance he can scare this guy off. "I don't know what you're doing, but you need to stop following me."

The smile falls from the guy's face a bit and he bites his lip in a similar fashion to what Dan had seen him do earlier.

"I just wanted to talk," he says softly, looking directly at Dan and for some reason Dan sort of wants to believe him. The brunette frowns, once again taking a step backwards. He feels like he shouldn't be intimidated, after all the more he looks at this guy, the less daunting he actually appears. There is nothing partially frightening about him, he looks pretty average and if Dan is being honest with himself, also pretty attractive. Dan sort of thinks that the only reasons he's intimidated is because of how badly this situation could end up.

"Well I don't," Dan says curtly, turning on his heel and starting to walk in the opposite direction.

"I'm Phil," he states before Dan gets out of hearing range, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Dan halts his movements, spinning back around so he is facing Phil once more. His eyes are wide in disbelief, response stuck in his throat. Phil seems to sense this and he nods at him in some sort of confirmation, like the small action might actually make it true.

"You wanted to make sure I was okay?" Dan hears his own laughter fill the air before he can stop himself. The past two days have been anything but okay for him. He's felt more terrified over the past twenty-four hours then he ever has before, and here this guy-  _Phil_  stands, just wanting to make sure Dan is  _okay_. "Un-fucking-believable."

Phil frowns slightly, looking like a cross between confused and somewhat shocked. He almost certainly did not expect a response like Dan's. "I-What?"

Dan takes a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down from the flood of uncontrollable emotions and possible hysteria that had suddenly kicked in. His fists clench at his side and he can feel everything bubbling up inside. The familiar twinge of power fills his body and swirls around in a similar fashion to his own feelings. "I'm peachy, Phil. Really, damn fantastic. Does that answer your question? Are you satisfied?"

"Dan-"

"How can you even ask that, Phil?" Dan interrupts, running a hand though his hair and looking up at the sky. Disbelief washes though him and Dan can't quite place exactly what he's feeling; relief and uncertainty at the same time. He feels so worked up in a way he's never really felt before, anger rifling through him. He doesn't know what to make of anything right now. He urges himself to calm down and take control, because it's times like these where keeping himself in check requires mental effort. "After everything you saw, how can you even  _ask that?_ "

Dan feels like he's been snapped in half, like confrontation was inevitable. He knows he's making this so much harder than it has to be, but he can't control what he is saying. It just spills out and he feels a little guilty. He is taking the pressure of the whole situation out on Phil, which is both entirely fair and unfair at the same time. Dan isn't even really sure how that works.

"I'm okay," Dan forces a little bitterly, like if he keeps on saying it eventually he will believe it. He's not okay though, he's far from it. In fact, at the moment he feels sort of terrified, sort of caged and he just wants Phil to  _leave._

Suddenly Phil takes a step forward, reaching over and placing an arm on Dan's shoulder. Dan flinches away, propelling backwards in the process. Phil drops his arm back against his side and he looks a little bit offended, sad almost and Dan is not really sure why.

"You don't deserve to be scared. I'm sorry." Phil apologises and Dan lets go of a breath he wasn't even aware he was holding, because he can hear the sincereness in Phil's voice.

"You-you're what?" Dan asks in a state of disbelief. His racing thoughts come to a halt as he processes Phil's former statement.

A small smile tugs on the corner of Phil's lips, similar to the one at the start of their conversation; gentle and encouraging. Understanding shines in his blue orbs and Dan feels himself let go of some of the tension just by looking at them. "I really didn't mean to scare you. If it was me in that situation, I would have done the same thing. I'm not going to tell anyone, promise."

"Oh," Dan says, having trouble exactly process the information. He stands still, staring directly at Phil, completely unsure of what to do. Phil looks as though he is in the same state, almost like he doesn't want to push the situation too much.

"So, you're really not going to tell anyone?" Dan asks, his hand unconsciously picking the loose thread at the edge of his jumper.

Phil shakes his head, a soft look forming on his face, "yeah, I won't."

"Not much point denying the whole thing and pretending it didn't happen then," Dan mumbles, mostly to himself and lets out a deep breath. He feels a little relief, but still a lot of uncertainty.

Phil lets out a small laugh and Dan finds himself automatically wanting to join in, despite himself and the whole situation. "Probably not but I wouldn't blame you."

"What were you doing there anyway? Behind a goddamn dumpster, watching." Dan asks, biting his lip anxiously. The question has been racing around in his mind for a while now. At least if this whole situation is happening, he might as well get some answers.

"I was just going for a walk-"

Dan frowns again, interrupting Phil mid-sentence because it seems way to strange, "for a walk in the  _rain?"_

"Oh yeah, I know it's kind of weird. However, when it's raining is sort of my favourite time to go out. When I was younger, my mum would always find me outside as soon as it started to rain trying to catch as many drops in my hand as possible. After the first dozen times she learned to just stop looking," Phil jokes and for some reason it just makes Dan believe him. Phil speaks carefully, almost as to not frighten Dan away again as he continues. "I don't think any of you noticed, but I actually saw you run past in the opposite alleyway and it took me a moment to realize you were actually being chased. It was pretty dark, and the rain was still pouring so I followed. When I realised what was happening I hid behind the bin and was about to call the police, but then I saw the knife practically fly out of the guy's hand…"

Phil pauses at the panicked look that crosses Dan's face. Dan looks around hastily; making sure no one is within ear shot. Phil steps forward, leaning in a little bit closer and lowers his voice in response and Dan realises that Phil is trying to make this conversation as easy as possible on him.

"You ran away so quickly after, I didn't even have time to think, or, well, comprehend everything."

"Um," Dan hesitates, unsure of what to say in response. He should say something, but he really doesn't have a proper explanation, or any excuses because Phil obviously knows that Dan caused the whole thing. "That makes two of us."

"Look, Dan," Phil draws in a deep breath before continuing. "I'm not here to cause trouble and I'm really not going to say anything. It was just a coincidence that I was there, but I think it would be rather stupid to pretend like nothing happened, especially because we keep somehow running into each other."

"I think the likelihood seems to be increased by the fact that we apparently go to the same school," Dan mumbles and Phil must find it funny, because he lets off another small laugh. Dan curses himself silently, because Phil looks so sincere and here he is, being an absolute dick. Under the circumstances, he doesn't really think that anyone can blame him though.

"Yeah, I guess so," Phil agrees, shoving his hands into his pockets in the strangest manner Dan has ever seen; palms facing outwards and only the backs of two fingers inside the actual jean pockets. Dan's pretty sure that he isn't even aware he is actually doing it.

A burst of cold air pushes through filling the small silence that they both managed to fall into. Phil looks at Dan, almost as if he is studying him. He looks somewhat fascinated and Dan isn't really sure about what he should do now. Phil opens his mouth as if to say something, before promptly shutting it again and glancing downwards at the ground.

"What?" Dan asks, because he might as well. Everything is sort of out in the open anyway so Phil might as well ask whatever is on his mind.

"How do you do it?" Phil asks suddenly and Dan's eyes go slightly wide because it wasn't exactly the question he was expecting. He debates if he should even answer it, looking behind Phil and towards the playground, where only a small number of kids are playing now.

"I uh, I mostly just think about it and it happens," Dan responds a bit hesitantly. Phil gives off a small nod, like the answer seems to satisfy him somewhat and it occurs to Dan that Phil probably has an arsenal full of questions but is probably restraining himself from asking. The more Dan thinks about it, the less comfortable he feels about answering them. The only people he has really discussed this with outside his family is Chris and PJ, and it feels strange and unfamiliar to be mentioning this to anyone else, let alone answering questions.

"No offense, but that's kind of awesome," Phil says, his eyes lighting up slightly. It reminds Dan of a child discovering presents under a Christmas tree. Dan lets out a small bust of laughter as soon as Phil's finished. He hasn't really heard anyone describe the ability to levitate objects as awesome before, except for Chris and even then it was more of a  _holy shit_  reaction.

It's then that Dan realises the conversation has gone from a tense mess to some sort of mutual understanding, and for some reason that worries him. It feels as though the situation has gone from one sort of complicated to the next. At the moment, Dan really just needs some time to think things over and figure out exactly where he goes from here.

"Hey Phil, I was kind of supposed to be home like twenty minutes ago," Dan speaks and twists the end of his bag strap around, which he sort of forgot existed for a while there. "But, uh thanks, for, you know."

Phil nods his head, smiling softly once again. "Yeah, its fine. You're welcome."

Dan glances at Phil one more time before heading back though the route in which he came. As he walks home, he can't help but think that maybe, possibly Phil might be okay.


	5. Mutual Understanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So chapters up a bit early because I wasn't sure I would have time to do so tomorrow. So, surprise? Thanks for reading!

“He said what?” PJ’s voice chimes in from the phone and Dan can practically see the moderately shocked expression on his face; green eyes a little wide and a hand clamped slightly against his study desk.

Dan fiddles with the end of his duvet cover; phone pressed up against his ear with his other hand. Usually, he would have his conversations to speaker phone but this one is just a little too important to allow his parents or brother to overhear.

“He said he wasn’t going to tell anyone,” Dan repeats into the phone, even though he is sure that PJ completely heard him the first time.

“And you believe him?” PJ asks but Dan isn’t exactly sure what to say in response. He doesn’t even know the answer himself.

“Well, uh, sort of?” Dan replies, mumbling the end of his sentence slightly. He kind of wishes PJ had been there with him, after all, PJ is much better at gauging people than Dan is.

“Sort of,” PJ repeats and Dan just nods even though he knows that PJ can’t see it.

“I dunno, Peej, he wasn’t hostile or anything. He was just…accepting.  I was worried that he was going to try and confront me, but he sort of didn’t. At least not in the way I expected. I can’t really describe it. He was...different.”

The line goes silent for a moment and Dan knows that PJ is trying to find a solution, something to make him feel a bit better about the thing as a whole. The only problem with that is that Dan doesn’t really know how he feels in the first place. A part of him wants to believe Phil, trust him and just accept his word, but another part of him isn’t quite so optimistic.

“I think you’re just going to have to go with it,” PJ says after a while. “I mean, until he gives you a reason to believe otherwise. I’m not really seeing another option, unless you want to ignore him and pretend the whole incident and conversation never actually happened. It’s not as though he actually has any proof.”

Dan hums into the phone in response, unsure of what he really wants to do. He glances around his room, looking from his chest of drawers to his Indian rug and hoping that by looking at them, a solution might just miraculously flash into his mind. Dan shakes his head, because even thinking that is beyond absurd.

“If he changes his mind, we could always sick Chris on him,” PJ jokes, instantly making Dan smile.

“I’m sure Chris would jump at the chance to light something on fire,” Dan laughs, twiddling with the pen that had previously been sitting on his mostly non complete homework. He had tried to actually complete some when he got home, but Dan doubts that he will be able to properly focus on anything at all tonight.

PJ lets out a small chuckle as well, “on second thought, maybe we shouldn’t give him any real opportunities to destroy things.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking we should never allow Chris that sort of freedom, especially around Phil,” Dan agrees. The way Chris enlarges flames in the fire place is enough to cause both of them to worry, never mind imagining what Chris would do if he was allowed to actually light a specific item on fire.

“So you’re on a first name basis now?” PJ questions and Dan can picture him sitting there with his eyebrows raised.

“Uh yeah, he told me his name,” Dan says. “I wouldn’t exactly call it a first name basis, though; more of a mutual understanding or something. ”

PJ’s laugh filters though the speaker, “if you know his name Dan, then yes, a first name basis is exactly what I’d call it.”

Dan rolls his eyes but when he thinks about it, a part of him sort of agrees.

-

The first thing Dan does as soon as he enters his English Lit class is search for Phil. He isn’t exactly sure what to expect now. It’s not as though they are friends by any means, acquaintances doesn’t seem to fit right either. However, neither does _guy who saw my supernatural ability and seems cool with it_.Even though Dan is pretty sure that the last one is somewhat more accurate than the other two options.

The tables are lined up in their usual rows and Dan takes his seat after realising that Phil hasn’t made it to class yet. The moment Phil does walk into the room, Dan halts his movements.  He glances up, which is supposed to look somewhat subtle, but Dan is pretty sure that he zooms onto Phil’s location far too quickly to make it actually look like he was casually glancing around.

Phil’s eyes catch onto Dan’s and he gives him a small smile. It makes Dan a little nervous, but at the same time it feels as though Phil is recognizing him in a different fashion to the last few, angst ridden times.

Dan glances downwards, looking at the wooden desk with the utmost interest. He doesn’t move, waiting for Phil to say something or for the chair beside him to screech slightly as it’s pulled out. For some reason Dan almost wants Phil to sit beside him and it’s a bit puzzling. He should be content with how everything played out the other day, not waiting for something else to start up.

Moments pass and Dan lets out a sigh, which is only partially due to relief. He glances sideways and watches as Phil walks past him, stretching his head backwards slightly to see Phil sitting down in the same seat he had the previous morning.

That action puzzles him slightly, because he was almost certain that Phil would have tried to get closer after the other night’s interactions maybe even ask a few more questions. A little voice in the back of Dan’s mind tells him that maybe that’s the end of things. That Phil only wanted to confront him to put an end to the hesitance and awkward tension. For some reason, Dan doesn’t really want to believe it.

-

“Is that him?” Chris questions with a nod of his head towards the right side of the room. This isn’t exactly as pointed as it should be, because Chris’ head is face down on top of his crossed arms, causing Dan to have zero indication to what he actually means.

“Is who what?” Dan asks, turning the textbook in front of him towards the correct page. It looks like he’s the one going to be doing all the work and note taking today. Which is sort of what ends up happening most days in their shared classes.  Chris is notorious for not paying attention, and then lazily copying Dan’s notes as he does the work.  

Chris pulls himself up, resting his chin on one hand while pointing to a seat on the opposite side of the classroom. “Your secret admirer slash stalker. Not sure which is the correct referenceto use right now.”

Dan scoffs, looking away from his work and over towards the direction Chris is pointing in. “I don’t know what you’re…uh, what.”

It’s then Dan notices Phil is also in the class. To be honest, Dan didn’t even think that he would be in another class the same as him. The thought of them sharing a class that he didn’t have yesterday didn’t occur to him in the slightest.

“Um, yeah, that’s Phil,” Dan replies, taking one more glance before shifting in his seat and going back to his work.

“And?” Chris asks, nudging Dan’s arm in the process.

“And what?”

Chris smirks, staring at Dan directly before glancing back over to Phil. “He’s kind of hot.”

“Jesus Christ, _Chris.”_ Dan groans, flighting the urge to hit him and smack his forehead against the desk.

“You can’t tell me that you haven’t thought that. I bet it was one if the first things to cross your mind,” Chris says and this time Dan really does want to smack him.

“The first time I saw him was after I smashed three people against the wall with a _dumpster,”_ Dan says, voice hushed and slightly sarcastic.  

“You’re point being?”

Dan lets out a sigh, which doesn’t quite sound as irritated as he wants it too. It hadn’t really crossed his mind until now. After all, it’s not like amidst all the panic he had much time to process Phil’s physique. The more he thinks about it, the more he realises that Phil is rather attractive, but Dan is not going to allow himself to actually think about that, let alone admit it to Chris.

He shakes it from his mind, but he doesn’t fail to notice the triumphant grin that crosses Chris’ face at his sudden silence. 

“So that’s a yes,” Chris announces, wiggling his eyebrows at Dan.

Dan rolls eyes in response, “no it’s not.”

Chris push’s his chair backwards, leaning so it’s only hanging by its hind legs. Dan wonders if it would be unfair of him to move the chair back that little bit more. It’s not exactly like anyone would notice; they would probably just think that Chris leaned backwards a bit too much. He’s not that much of a horrible friend. Instead, Dan glances at Chris chair for a moment, focusing on its ability to sway. He feels a small rush push through him as he focuses on swaying the chair slightly, just enough so that Chris can feel the wobble, and the possibility of it falling. Dan then does the opposite, pushing the chair forward so quickly that the top two legs hit the ground with a loud bang.

Dan lets out a small laugh as Chris looks over at him with wide eyes, quickly turning into a glare as he notices that a large amount of the classroom is looking over at him, including the teacher who gives him a pointed look. 

“So unfair,” Chris grumbles and Dan snickers slightly as he looks back down at his work, a satisfied smile filling his face.  

-

Hands hidden in his jumper, Dan walks down the streets. It’s abnormally cold for the time of day, making Dan’s breath come out in a white mist as it leaves his mouth. The ground is still damp from raining earlier and Dan’s a little grateful that it seems to have stopped for the time being, because while it didn’t appear to have rained this morning, England is sort of notorious for being cold and rainy. 

“Dan!”

Dan pauses his movements, turning around at the sound. It takes a moment for him to realise that it’s actually Phil and he feels like he should have noticed as soon as he heard Phil’s slightly northern tone. Phil takes a few more steps before he reaches Dan, hands swinging by his side and no jumper in sight, which Dan fails to understand how it’s even possible, because it’s absolutely _freezing._

“Is there something I can help you with?” Dan asks, moving on the spot to try and keep himself warm as Phil finally reaches him.

Phil replies, slightly out of breath and it makes Dan wonder just how long it took for him to catch up in the first place. “Um, how about some company? We sort of walk the same way home.”

“Oh,” Dan says. He is a little surprised, because it’s now the end of the week and Phil hasn’t actually spoken to him since that confrontation in the park. He hasn’t seen Phil walk home this way either, but then again he doesn’t tend to pay much attention while he’s walking and sometimes he even catches the bus. “Yeah, uh sure. I guess.”

Phil grins, his tongue sticking out to the side slightly as he does so and Dan can’t help but think that it’s slightly adorable. “Great! I forgot my earphones and walking home is so boring without some form of company.”

Dan isn’t sure as to whether he should find that offensive or not, because it sort of sounds like Phil was using him as a last resort. He shrugs it off, continuing along the pathway with Phil falling into place beside him.

They fall into silence, continuing to walk briskly next to each other. It’s not exactly awkward but it isn’t exactly comfortable either. Dan wonders if there was even a point to Phil stopping him, as he seems to be content with just walking next to Dan, glancing over at him occasionally.

“What’s your favourite band?” Phil asks, finally breaking the silence. Dan looks over at him, a little startled at the sudden question.

“Muse,” he answers simply. Phil’s grin increases tenfold, a sudden spring in his step.

“Seriously?” Phil questions, but there is no doubt in his voice. “Same here, they’re amazing. My favourite album is Origins of Symmetry. It’s probably one of the best things ever created.”

Dan smiles slightly, “mine too, actually.”

“Then you have great taste.”

 “Anyone who even glances in Matt’s general direction has great taste. He’s seriously a fucking god. Citizen Erased is their best song by far,” Dan proclaims. Phil disagrees, shaking his head as soon as Dan finished his sentence.

“No way, sorry but New Born overrules any song ever created,” he says, emphasising his words with somewhat over exaggerated hand movements. Dan chuckles at his eagerness and slightly enthusiastic nature. His eyes trail up Phil's arms, once again drawn to the fact that he isn’t wearing a jumper.

“Aren’t you cold?”

Phil’s smile turns a little sheepish, “I sort of left it in my locker, accidently.”

Dan blinks at him, failing to contemplate how that is even possible. He hasn’t taken his jumper off all day. Even though it moderately warm inside the classroom, he still opted to keep it on for that little bit of extra warmth.

“It’s not really that cold anyway,” Phil insists, tugging at the sleeves of his long sleeve top. “Besides, we’re kind of walking at a ridiculously fast pace. If I felt the cold at this speed there would definitely be something wrong with me.”

“Right,” Dan says, still in moderate disbelief. They are walking fairly fast, and Dan doesn’t really feel that cold either. But he’s covered up a lot more, jumper pulled up over his clenched hands, shielding them from the cold. Dan has the sudden urge to take off his jumper and give it to Phil, just to make sure he isn’t lying. He can’t though, because he’s wearing the school version of a short sleeve shirt, which would do nothing from shielding him from the cold. Plus, Phil doesn’t look that bothered, like he’s actually telling the truth and it occurs to Dan that he probably isn’t actually lying in the first place.

Dan shakes the thoughts from his head, “fair enough. If it was me I’d be freezing. But then again I’m pretty bad when it comes to cold weather.”

“Remind me why you live in England then,” Phil laughs and Dan smiles in response, looking away towards the pavement.

“’I don’t really have a choice, you know, living with parents and all.”

“They have a pretty good sway, free food and electricity. It’s essential for gaming and watching an endless amount of TV. Trust me when I say I do a lot of it.”

It occurs to Dan that they seem to have a lot in common, because besides the times that Dan is at school or doing homework, he’s either watching movies with Chris and PJ or putting a ridiculous amount of hours into fully completing video games.

“The need to play Call of Duty wins me over, too,” Dan agrees, “that and Guitar Hero.”

“I’m rubbish at Guitar Hero, due to my lack of co-ordination.”

“Sure, blame it on that.”

Phil looks at him somewhat defensively, but for some reason Dan is pretty sure he’s faking it. “It’s true!”

 “Uh-huh,” Dan jokes, “that’s what everyone blames it on.”

Phil looks like he wants to debate it a bit more, he slows down his walking pace a bit in the process, the hint of a smile tugging on his lips in an attempt to hide it. “I’d convince you otherwise, but that’s my street.” Phil points towards the court opposite them.

“Oh, yeah, okay.” Dan replies, and Phil laughs a bit which Dan is sure is due to his strange response.

“I’ll see you later,” Phi says, smiling once more in his direction before heading across the road and into the street he’d previously pointed at.

Dan continues his walk alone, counting the cracks in the pavement as he goes. It’s not until he gets home and makes his way to the bedroom that he realises he had a proper conversation with Phil. Relaxed and completely anxiety free, ridden of everything he had felt during their first encounter.

He isn’t exactly sure what to think about that, but for some reason, it fills him with a little bit of happiness.

 


	6. Plans (That Maybe Ain't So Bad)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should really think of titles to name each chapter in stead of it being annoyingly confusing as like Chapter 6: chapter 5. But I'm horrible at that so I suppose we can all cringe together. This is up a little early once again, because apparently my Thursday's have become way too busy. I think Chris is seriously becoming my favourite character to write, really, I just enjoy adding in his perverse jokes, and making everyone else squirm. As always, hope you enjoy reading. I'd love to hear your comments! Thanks for reading! Feel free to let me know what you think :)
> 
> As a disclaimer. This is a work of fiction, nothing that any of the characters do or say is representative of them in any way. I mean no disrespect or offence in any aspect of my writing. Names are used as a character/ story plot basis only.

“Who was the guy you walked home with yesterday?”

The familiar voice of Dan’s brother carries across his bedroom. Dan looks up, away from his computer screen and towards Adrian, who is currently occupying the empty space between his doorframe.

“Um, his name’s Phil,” Dan replies, tapping the edge of his keyboard in the process. Tapping has always been a bit of a nervous trait. It’s more subconscious, fiddling with something during pauses or long conversations. If he doesn’t have an object in his hands to hold or move around during long or awkward conversations, the habit almost acts like an agitation.

“I’ve never seen him before,” Adrian says, taking a step forward into Dan’s bedroom and walking over to his desk, which is currently littered with a mixture of comics and homework sheets. “Usually it’s just Chris and PJ.”

Dan sort of wants to avoid this topic, but he knows Adrian is probably just being genuinely curious. After all, they don’t have the worst relationship; just the normal sibling relationship which generally edges between getting on well to _I want to end your life_. Besides, avoiding the conversation would only make him more curious, nagging and possibly a little bit whiny, so it’s better for everyone if Dan just goes along with his brother’s antics.

“Yeah, he’s new to school,” Dan replies, stopping himself from physically groaning as he watches Adrian clear a spot on his desk, before pushing himself up with his arms and sitting down on the edge.

Adrian glances around his room, before shooting a questioning glance in Dan’s direction. “How come he didn’t come over then?”

“Because we’re not exactly friends,” Dan says, and he immediately regrets it, because that is probably going to spark a million questions from his majorly, somewhat annoyingly, inquisitive brother. Dan’s assumptions are correct, as he watches Adrian prop himself up on the desk a bit more, one hand supporting his weight and the other resting on the edge of Dan’s paperwork. His feet swing slightly over the edge, and Dan resists the urge to tell him off and force him to move onto his computer chair, which is literally right beside Adrian.

“And you walked with him because…?”

This time Dan does groan, sinking backwards into his pillows and rubbing his temples slightly. He can already feel his brothers’ incoming questions forming a head ache. “Because we walk the same way home, apparently.”

“Apparently?”

Dan lets out a sigh, effectively managing to go from relaxed to agitated in less than five minutes thanks to his brother’s ever so charming nature. It’s almost like he has a special knack when it comes to annoyance. “Adrian, don’t you have somewhere better to be?”

Adrian smiles at him a bit, kicking his feet out as he does so. “Not really, besides I’m just interested. I didn’t know you even spoke to anyone who wasn’t Chris or Peej anyway. So this Phil guy must be a new friend, right? You can deny it all you want, for whatever reason you seem to believe, but I think it’s a good thing. Or something like that. Possibly a good thing. You could sort of do with a few more friends.”

Dan’s hand reaches towards one of the pillows next to him, twitching slightly as he resists the urge to chuck it at his brother. He’d be able to hit him dead in the face too, being able to propel it forward with accuracy and a little bit more speed than average, thanks to his ability. He doesn’t though, his previous actions with Chris the other week was more than he’d done in a while, and way more than he would usually allow himself to do in public. No matter how much he might want to have his brother breathe in a pillow, he probably shouldn’t be letting this get the better of him.

 “You know exactly why I don’t have a lot of friends, Adrian.”

Adrian jolts back slightly, as though he didn’t expect Dan to be so blunt with him. Maybe it was a bit unfair, but it wasn’t exactly as though Adrian was being towards Dan either. Besides, it’s the truth, no point trying to deny it.  He shifts on the bed, crossing his legs and pushing himself up slightly.

“Dan, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay,” Dan replies and it sort of is. Adrian is able to have friends, completely worry free, without his parents leaning over his shoulder and asking questions, making sure he never does anything out of the ordinary in public. After all, Adrian never seemed to develop any extraordinary characteristics. Dan’s parents never had to worry about people finding out that he could move a toy car around the room without physically touching it. Because to put it quite simply, he couldn’t.

That’s probably why Adrian never seemed to be truly jealous of Dan either. Of course as a child it was different, because what little kid doesn’t want to be like their favourite superhero? No, it was more likely because he had single handily seen how hard it had been for Dan to manage, how hard he had to work when he was younger to keep everything under control. How much it worried his parents, that if people found out, anything could happen, and no one in their family would really be able to do anything about it.  

Their parents had probably been anxious about Adrian when he was little, after all of Dan’s powers had popped out of nowhere and it wouldn’t have been too much of  a jump to assume that maybe the same thing might of happened to their other child. Dan’s glad that it never turned out that way, a child with telekinesis and the possibility of something developing similar to Chris’ powers would have been way too much for anyone to handle.

Adrian pauses for a while, just looking over at Dan. He takes a deep breath, exhaling rather loudly before he speaks, “I don’t think you should worry so much, about people finding out. Mum and Dad don’t really worry anymore, because you know, you’re not exactly stupid about things.”

Dan blinks at him, unable to contemplate his brother words completely. It almost sounded like encouragement and a little bit of a compliment, which isn’t exactly a common occurrence. “What are you getting at exactly?”

“Just that I’m 15 and I get out more times in a month then you do in about half a year,” he laughs at the end, teasingly and Dan just rolls his eyes in response. His brother has a bit of a point, but Dan doesn’t mind. He kind of likes how things are and if he is being honest, even the whole awkward and anxious circumstance with Phil. It’s easier this way, after all, Chris and PJ know all about him and vice versa. All of their parents have no clue regarding each of them having their own abilities, which they all unanimously decided on. It’s easier that way, no questions and just the assumption that they’ve each keep their abilities to themselves.

“Would you like a trophy?” Dan asks, and internally winces, because that was definitely not his greatest comeback and Adrian can tell, snickering to himself slightly.

“Adrian?” Their mother’s voice rings out from what Dan can only assume is from the bottom of the stairs, “would you mind cleaning your room now?”

The look on Adrian’s face drops off and Dan takes great joy in that, responding to his mother in Adrian’s place. “He’d _love_ too.”

Adrian pushes himself off the desk, glaring at Dan during the entire process. As soon as he exits the room, Dan pulls out his phone, determined to somewhat prove his brother wrong, even if he isn’t exactly sure how.

-

Saturday nights usually consist of Dan, PJ and Chris, a bunch of movies, videos games and sometimes if they are lucky, an extra-large pizza. So in Dan’s opinion, that sort of makes Saturday the best day of the week, and he’s pretty sure that both Chris and PJ feel exactly the same way.

“Do you recon I could heat the pizza up a bit more?” Chris questions, looking down at his slice, eyes narrowing slightly in contemplation. Anytime Chris says something like that, it usually doesn’t end positively.

“With a microwave, yes,” Dan replies. He glances between Chris and PJ, who has a slightly concerned look on his face.

Chris just looks at the slice more intensely and Dan gets a horrible feeling his words have gone completely unheard.

“I was thinking more...” Chris cuts his sentence off, focusing directly at the slice on his plate. A moment passes and he looks up excitedly and somewhat victoriously as steam starts to rise from his pizza slice, cheese bubbling just a little bit too much. “That!”

PJ lets out a sigh, which reflects exactly how Dan is feeling on the inside, that is, until he notices the state of the plastic plate that Chris’ food is resting on.

“Jesus, Chris! You _melted the plate._ ” Dan proclaims, fingers twitching at his side as he takes in the drooping edges of the circular plate. Dan silently wishes that maybe a piece might have dripped off and stuck to Chris’ jeans; it doesn’t appear to have melted enough for that to happen.

“Remind me why we’re dating again?” PJ questions, shaking his head slightly as he glances over at Chris, who continues to look down at his pizza like it’s his greatest achievement.

Chris grins at him, smile triumphant and un-wavering. “Because you want my body, clearly.”

PJ chokes slightly on the sip of drink he chose to take at the wrong time. Dan lets out a laugh, snorting a little at the thought of seeing Chris naked, because he isn’t sure that Chris is completely wrong. Which should worry him a little more than it does. As close as the three of them are, knowledge of their sex life is not high on Dan’s priority list. In fact, if he has any say in it, it wouldn’t even be on there at all.

 “It’s clearly not your personality,” Dan retorts. PJ lets out a little laugh but Chris’ smile never waversas he finishes off his last piece of pepperoni.

“Do you want me to do yours as well?” Chris asks, and Dan quickly shoves his hands over the top of his plate, blocking Chris’ view.

“Nope,” PJ says, quickly shovelling the remaining piece into his mouth. Dan swiftly follows his lead, taking a giant bite into his food and almost swallowing it whole.

Chris shrugs, leaning against the bed post and his arms resting on the carpet, “your loss.”

Dan smiles to himself, which is somewhat hard with the vast amount of pizza in his mouth. He’s pretty sure that is definitely not classified as a loss.

-

It’s entirely possible that Chris is trying to provoke Dan’s situation as much as possible. Dan is pretty sure that Chris takes immense pleasure in tormenting him, which in fairness might contradict Dan’s level of teasing. But Chris practically brings that on himself, and he is more than capable of also dishing it out. So it’s moments like this where Dan wonders if Chris does it just to spite him.

“You’re what?” Dan asks. He isn’t sure if Chris is being serious or not and it’s a little concerning.

Chris shifts in his chair, a squeaking noise emitting from the hinges as he does so. He looks over at Dan with a smirk on his face, and it’s then that Dan knows he is being completely serious. He takes back his previous statement, now officially a little more than just concerned.

“I’m going to invite Phil to sit with us.”

Dan isn’t sure if this is a good idea, he isn’t sure what Chris is even thinking. They have barely held a proper conversation with each other for longer than 10 minutes, let alone have a conversation involving Chris, which always has the potential to go downhill _very_ quickly. Dan doesn’t have time to retaliate, as Phil walks into their classroom, Chris wastes no time.

“Hey Phil!” Chris calls out. Phil looks up from the walkway, glancing over in their direction, seemingly a little unsure as to who was calling his name. “Come sit with us.”

Phil blinks in their direction, standing still. He looks from Chris to Dan and takes a step forward, walking over towards the seating area that they both occupy.

“It’s Phil right?” Chris questions, even though Dan is sure that he knows _exactly_ who Phil is.

Phil nods, “Yeah.”

“Great!” Chris’ tone is overly enthusiastic, much too cheery for his own good and Dan is sure it’s because Chris is trying to fuck with him. Both metaphorically and literally. “Dan thought that you should sit with us. He said that you’ve met a few times before and that you’re pretty much new here. I’m Chris by the way, the better one of the duo. You’ll soon learn that.”

Dan resists the urge to stomp on Chris’ foot. Lately he’s needed to resist hitting Chris on a regular basis, but maybe he should stop resisting and start _doing_.

“Really?” Phil smiles as soon as Chris finishes, looking over towards Dan and pulling out the spare seat besides Chris in the process. “Thanks, I sort of don’t really know many people here yet.”

Guilt settles in Dan’s chest. He didn’t really think about the fact that Phil was new, and that he probably doesn’t really know anyone. Of course it probably wasn’t the first thing that crossed his mind after the previous week’s events, but Phil hasn’t been anything but nice to Dan, so maybe Dan should have given him the benefit of the doubt beforehand.

“It’s fine,” Dan says, refusing to look at Chris as he speaks. He is more than positive that Chris is giving him some sort of sneer, immensely satisfied with himself as per usual. Phil doesn’t seem to notice it though, placing his text books down with ease, and turning to the correct text book page.

Dan feels like he should say something. Attempt to initiate conversation before Chris digs a hole way too deep for Dan to fill. He blurts out the first thing at mind, which isn’t really interesting, but he supposes it could have been something much worse. “So, are you up to date with everything in class?”

Phil waves his hands sideways, “sort of, it’s a bit different from the stuff that we focused on at my other school. But I don’t think there is a huge difference between media studies, I mean, there are only so many different ways a scene can be portrayed.”

Before Dan has time to respond, Chris cuts him off, directing the conversation in a slightly different direction. “So where are you from? Up north right? We sort of stick out around here.”

“Moved down from Manchester a few weeks ago, I lived in Lancashire for a while too. We’ve moved around a bit. The accent sort of gives it away, huh?” Phil replies, chuckling a little towards the end.

Chris bombs him with another question as soon as Phil finishes talking. “Why’d you move?”

“Family decision really. Dad got a better job offer out here, so we moved. Same for every other time actually.”

“And Dan was the first person you met here?”

“Uh, yeah, pretty much. First person I’ve really spoken too, anyway. Uh- to be honest I’m sort of horrible at making new friends, mostly because we never seem to really get along. You think I’d get better after having moved around a few times, but that doesn’t seem to help.”

Phil chucks Dan a smile, slightly shy but a bit happy, almost like some sort of thank you, which Dan in no way thinks he deserves. Because he didn’t actually initiate this conversation, and no matter how grateful Phil seems for it, he isn’t sure that he should be. Phil doesn’t seem to notice that Chris is digging around, but Dan does. It appears as if he’s being friendly and Dan supposes Chris sort of is. However, usually when Chris initiates conversation it’s something obscenely random, comedic, video game related or generally perverted. There is the off chance that Chris is actually interested, but he doubts that is the only reason.

Chris opens his mouth, assumedly to ask another question; however he doesn’t get to it, the teacher cutting him off with today’s set work. Dan doesn’t really focus on his work, switching between writing a few notes and chatting to both Chris and Phil, who much to Dan’s pleasure, has moved away from the pointed questions and towards a list of their favourite films.

The period runs rather smoothly after that, and it’s not long before Dan finds himself packing up and getting ready to head towards his next class.

“Hey Phil, seeing as how you don’t know anyone, you should come and sit with us at lunch,” Chris says, and Dan almost drops his books. Phil reaches his hand out, steadying the small pile that Dan was fumbling with. Dan risks a glance towards Chris in the process, who looks like he is taking a lot of enjoyment out of this whole scenario as a small blush rises to his cheeks in mild embarrassment.

“Thanks,” Dan mumbles, glancing back at Phil who just smiles at him, tongue angled slightly at the side as he does so. Dan holds his breath slightly, because it is probably one of the cutest things that he has ever seen.

“We usually sit in the outside courtyard, near the newer buildings,” Chris continues.

“Sure, yeah, thanks!” Phil says, rather enthusiastically, gathering his books. “So I’ll see you at lunch then.”

Dan waits behind as he watches Phil leave the class, turning towards Chris as soon as he sees Phil physically exit the room. He reaches out, pulling on Chris’s shirt slightly as he attempts to make his way out of the classroom.

“What are you doing?” Dan asks, voice low as the small number of students continue to filter out the classroom.

Chris raises an eyebrow at him, “helping you out.”

Dan looks at him, face twisting into a confused look. He isn’t exactly sure how any of this would be classified as helping him, if anything, Dan would have assumed it was at least for Phil’s benefit, or Chris’ own sadistic twist of humour. 

“Seriously, I am. It’s not like you really bothered to ask him any questions before, you were too busy trying not to shit yourself.” Chris states, and Dan gives him a pointed look, which he seems to completely ignore. “And this way, when he comes and sits with us, I’ll ask a few more questions, dig around a little and Peej can do that whacky mood lie detecting shit that he’s annoyingly good at and tell us if Phil’s actually telling you the truth.”

That was probably one of the last things that Dan expected Chris to say, but in hindsight, it’s sort of a great idea. He never thought of using PJ to get a read off of Phil. Actually, one of the reasons he never thought about it was due to the fact that something made him actually _believe_ Phil.

“That’s sort of a good idea,” Dan declares. Chris just gives him a look, the overly used triumphant one that states he knows _exactly_ how good it is.

“Besides, after all this, you could actually do with another friend, any other human being really. Also, it doesn’t hurt that he’s hot. You should tap that. Just saying.”

Any amount of good will towards Chris’ action instantly vanishes and Chris must realise it. He grabs his text books, quickly making his way towards the door, but not leaving until he turns around and gives Dan a suggestive wink.

Dan lets out a sigh, a mixture between agitation and relief. There seems to be some sort of similar theme this week, if Chris and Adrian’s opinions are anything to go by. _Maybe_ he could do with another friend, and having him be attractive is just an added bonus.


	7. Deceitful Honesty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never know what to put in these. So, new chapter is up, and it leads to the next one, which was super fun to write. Also may or may not have a reveal (ish) sort of thing at the end. So look forward to that? Maybe. I dunno. Hope you like this anyway. Thanks for reading!

When lunch approaches Dan is a mix between excited, worried and extremely nervous. It’s not that he doubts that this is a good idea, because honestly, it’s probably one of the best plans Chris has ever come up with. He is more worried in the _what if this goes horribly wrong and Phil has been lying the whole time_ sort of way.

It sits uncomfortably with him, because after everything these past few weeks, the thought that it might have all been for nothing is rather upsetting. In all honesty, Dan wants to believe that Phil is nothing but true to his word. They seem to have a bit in common, and after all of this, it would sort of be a shame to throw everything away. Even if he isn’t exactly sure what that actually is.

He wanders over to their usual spot, and is mildly surprised to find that Phil is already sitting there with both Chris and PJ.

“Hey,” Dan says as he approaches, making his way over to the grass beside the courtyard tree. He plonks himself down, filling the last gap in the small circle the three of them had started to resemble.

Phil glances over, smiling at Dan widely, “Hey, Dan.”

For some reason, Dan’s heart flutters a little at the sound. Phil’s voice sounds cheerful, more so than any other time they have spoken. Dan’s thoughts wander back to their earlier conversation and the guilty sensation that came with it. The way his eyes lit up at Chris’ invitation is still evident in his orbs now.

Chris makes an incoherent mumbling sound which Dan assumes is supposed to be a greeting, due to the copious amounts of food stuffed in his mouth. PJ waves at him, glancing up for a moment before taking a bite into his own wrap.

“We were just talking about you,” Phil states.

Dan unwraps his own lunch, pressing his crossed legs close enough together so that his sandwich doesn’t fall between the gap. “Don’t listen to anything Chris says. It’s not true.”

Chris raises an eyebrow but otherwise shrugs it off, continuing to finish off his lunch. Phil lets off a small laugh.

“We were just explaining to Phil how long the three of us have known each other.” PJ clarifies. “Which is somewhat boring because, you know, just through school really. It’s only been a couple of years.”

Dan forces himself not to frown, or do anything but nod his head in agreement. That’s more of an extremely dialled-down explanation. The real event didn’t exactly go quite so smoothly, or easily; more along the lines of extremely anxious and worrying, at least in Dan’s mind. All that had run through his mind is that he’d done something wrong, that he’d been discovered. But in reality, it was just PJ being able to sense something different in Dan. This happened to manifest itself in the revelation of his telekinesis power. This definitely turned out to be better than Dan ever imagined, after all, he’d gained two friends out of it.

Still, it feels like they are all lying to Phil, sort of deceiving him in some way. It makes Dan feel even less comfortable about what they are doing; just knowing that Phil is sitting there with no clue about what is really going on around him.

“How did you two meet anyway?” Chris questions, directing the inquiry towards Phil.

Phil blinks a bit, glancing over at Dan for a moment before looking back towards Chris, almost as if he isn’t sure what to say and is wanting for Dan to jump in and answer himself.

After a short pause Phil replies, “Mostly only at school. We share a few classes and happened to have run into each other outside of class a bit too.”

It’s not a lie, just an evasion of the full truth. Dan looks towards PJ, his emerald eyes directly focused on Phil. He’s reading him, concentrating harder than usual. Normally it just comes naturally to Peej, a sense or feeling. It’s not around constantly, usually Peej can only read emotions if they are particularly strong. Like if someone is feeling extremely happy or depressed.  But this is more important, so it’s not exactly surprising to find PJ trying a bit harder.

“Oh really? I didn’t know that,” Chris sounds surprised, but Dan knows that he obviously isn’t. It isn’t anything different then what Dan told them both, just minus all the details of supernatural abilities and almost crimes. “Where did that happen?”

This time Phil responds a bit quicker and Dan is pretty sure it’s to not arouse any suspicion, “outside a shop the other week, but I didn’t actually realise it was Dan.  Then a few times when we walk home, it’s mostly the same route.”

Both Chris and PJ look over at Dan with raised eyebrows, and he realises that he forgot to fill them in with that minor detail.

Dan nods his head in agreement, confirming Phil’s former statement,“yeah, we walked home together the other day. Well sort of, most of the way, Phil’s stop was down another street.”

Phil’s shoulders sink down slightly in relief when Dan speaks. It’s subtle, and Dan is pretty sure that it would have been less noticeable if he wasn’t watching Phil so intently. He picks at the blades of grass beside him, pulling them up from the roots and snapping them in half before dropping them back to the ground and repeating the process.

“Well, it seems like fate,” Chris says, smirking slightly. “You know, written in the stars or some of that Romeo and Juliet bullshit.”

Dan resists the urge to groan at Chris’ not so subtle attempt at insinuating something between both himself and Phil. Trust Chris to bring up his flirty crap talk when they are attempting to do something serious.

Phil laughs it off, but Dan doesn’t miss the small dusting of pink that also stains his cheeks. Part of Dan wants to just sink into the ground and melt. But Phil looks genuinely happy as he says that, regardless of Chris turning everything into a sexual innuendo.

“Don’t listen to him, he talks so much crap. Honestly, he is like 93% full of it, possibly more. Most of the time PJ and I tend to ignore him.” Dan comments.

“PJ loves me,” Chris says, “my flirty attitude turns him on. It’s the big brown doe eyes he says, I’m practically irresistible.”

“ _Chris_ ,” PJ groans, chucking his wrapper towards Chris’ face hastily, missing narrowly, which only adds to Chris’ amusement.

Phil looks a bit puzzled, and Dan takes that as the opportunity to fill him in. “They have a love hate relationship; mostly hate in the form of Chris’ and his annoying antics. But seriously, they balance each other out like fucking yin and yang. It’s strangely perfect. It was the biggest relief when they finally started dating. I’d called it when I first saw them. Chris’ flirting was even worse before hand, if you can believe it.”

As soon as Dan finish’s his sentence he realises that he practically just implied that Phil would be staying with them.  He regrets it a little, because what if Phil can’t stay with them? If PJ picked up on something and just isn’t saying anything because he doesn’t want to cause a scene in front of everyone.

“That’s cute,” Phil says in response.

“I hope you’re not talking about Chris’ attitude,” PJ quips, “because I’d describe it as more egotistic. Full of bullshit maybe? There are a lot of relative synonyms. ”

Chris makes a whiny noise, followed by a fake sniff and the three of them fail at attempting to stop themselves from laughing.

Before Dan knows it, the warning bell for next period sounds. It feels like they have only been talking for five minutes, not fifty. A bit of apprehension fills him, because he practically forgot that there was actually a reason for Phil to be sitting with the three of them in the first place.

Chris stretches on the grass before pushing himself up, followed closely by Phil. Dan takes his time, pretending to stretch his legs, watching PJ do the same.

“Come on, Phil. I think our next class rooms are close. I’ll let you have the honour of walking with me.”

Phil gives Chris an amused smile, “I feel privileged, I think. So um, I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”

He looks at Dan as he says it, and Dan’s breath catches in his throat. He isn’t sure what to say, anything he says might not be right, or definite. There is a very real chance that he might not be able to talk to Phil ever again.

“Yeah, I’ll catch you tomorrow,” PJ replies.

“Awesome, yeah, thanks.” Phil replies with, somehow managing to look even happier then when Chris first invited him over. “See you then!”

Dan watches them both walk away, standing up as PJ does so. He feels a bit more fidgety, unsure of what exactly to say about PJ’s words. It’s a good thing, it must be.

“So, that means everything’s okay, right?”

PJ gives him a small grin, like he knows something Dan doesn’t. “I think that he’s being honest here Dan. I’m pretty sure he’s safe.”

The words float around in Dan’s head; a sense of relief rushing though him. This is the first time he’s really been able to know for sure, that everything is going to be fine. It’s weird, but comforting in the best way. He lets out a deep sigh, and Peej smiles at him, obviously being able to sense Dan’s feelings.

Another thought fills his head this time; _Phil._

Phil with his gorgeous eyes and catchy smile, with his tongue that sticks out to the side just slightly, in the most adorable way imaginable. That after everything he was being honest and real and _Jesus Christ I should not be thinking this way._ But Phil’s laugh continues to float around in Dan’s head, and it feels like the blockade has been lifted and now all he can think about is how lucky he has been. How Phil has wanted to be his friend the whole time and it’s such an amazing revelation that he can barely believe it.  That someone like Phil, who put so much effort into this and wants nothing in return. It feels like a crashing pressure has just been lifted off Dan’s shoulders and replaced with something entirely different.

“We should probably get to class, yeah?” PJ says, walking past Dan and towards the hallway entrance.

“Yeah,” Dan mumbles, forcing himself to catch up.

Neither of them say anything when they depart, but Dan is aware that PJ knows exactly how he feels. He’s sure that relief is radiating off him in waves.

-

Dan walks with Phil again that night. Its smoother, filled with practically no tension and he is pretty sure that Phil can sense that too. If he does, he doesn’t question why. Instead they both take advantage of the fact that there are no awkward silences, talking about music, anime and their favourite movies. Conversation between them seems to flow more easily, and Dan wonders if this whole turn of events didn’t end up happening, he eventually might have managed to have made friends with Phil anyway. They just have so much in common, possibly even more then Dan has with PJ and Chris.

It’s a bit serial, knowing that he now has someone else he can rely on. For so long it has just been the three of them, and now, there’s a good possibility that it might end up being the four of them.   Maybe he shouldn’t push it that far, but as he says his goodbyes to Phil as they part ways, it’s exactly how he feels.

He manages to just make it inside before it rains, shoving his shoes by the door. Walking into the lounge, he turns the TV on, more than willing to zone out to the mindless cartoons played during after school ours.

He collapses onto the couch for a while, before the overwhelming need for a hot beverage takes him. Puling himself away from the cartoons, Dan makes his way over to the kitchen and turns the kettle on. He pauses for a moment, feeling his phone vibrate once in his pocket.

It’s a text from an unknown number. _Hey, Dan! I swear I’m not being a total stalker. You’re number was given to me. So I thought I’d test it out._

Of course it’s Phil, he’s the only other person that Dan actually speaks too that he doesn’t already have in his contacts. He saves the number before replying.

_Hey. Oh yeah? I dunno man, for all I know you could have just taken it. Who gave it to you exactly?_

Dan doesn’t mind, it’s sort of cool that Phil thinks they are friendly enough to text each other now.

_I’d give you three guesses, but I don’t think that it will even take one ;)_

Dan shakes his head and laughs to himself. He knows exactly that this was Chris’ doing. He can practically imagine him casually slipping Dan’s phone number into a conversation and convincing Phil to text him. He can’t say he exactly minds it though. Although Dan’s trust about everything has drastically increased, he isn’t the best at making friends. In fact, he’s only managed to make two, and social situations and cues are not exactly his strong point.

_Chris, by chance?_

Phil only takes a few seconds to reply. _I’m beginning to realise it’s almost an automatic response._

_You’ll learn, Chris isn’t a word it’s practically its own phrase._

He pictures Phil laughing as he reads it. He puts his phone down for a second, adding instant coffee and pouring hot water into his mug. He finishes in time, adding milk and stirring before his phone chimes again.

_Well, promise I’m actually messaging you for a reason. Do you want to come round after school tomorrow? Mum says you’re welcome to stay for dinner :)_

Dan wasn’t exactly sure what Phil was going to say in response, however inviting him over for tea was definitely not even in the realm of possibilities. It is however, a  really pleasant surprise. Dan smiles to himself as he replies.

_Only if we get to have dessert. Say yes, and you probably won’t ever be able to get rid of me._

Phil is quick to reply again this time. _You’ve signed your soul away now. Our night’s going to consist of video games, buffy episodes and copious amounts of dessert. You’re going to roll out the door._

Dan laughs again, the mental image of the whole situation strangely realistic.

_Ahah, doubt you’ll have the muscles to achieve that. But I look forward to you trying!_

_At least it will be entertaining. See you tomorrow!- Phil_

Dan picks up his drink, walking though the hall and up-stairs as he replies once more. Of course Phil would only confirm his name at the end of the conversation. _See you then._

Suddenly, Wednesday just got a whole lot better.


	8. Memories

“So, are you gonna make out?” Chris questions, grin wide and eyebrows wiggling.

Dan lets out a small choking sound, like he just sucked in way too much air and all he can do is stare. He should probably be used to Chris’ antics by now, but somehow they always seem to catch him off guard.

“Is that a yes?”

Dan shakes his head vigorously, “ _no_ , that is not a yes.”

“It is so a yes,” Chris states, somehow managing to grin even wider. His eyes shine with immense satisfaction and it’s apparent that there is no changing his mind. Dan is pretty much fighting a downhill battle.

 _“Chris,”_ Dan groans, covering his face with his hands.

Chris ignores his warning, instead letting his teasing tone linger a little more. “Peej told me, so there is no point denying it.”

Dan lifts his head away from his hands, a confused look crossing his face. “PJ told you what?”

“That you find Phil, what was it? Oh yes, that’s the word. A _ttractive._ ”

“He _what?”_ Dan’s voice is a little off tone and a little high pitched. He snaps up, straight in his chair, watching as Chris holds back a small snicker.

“And therefore making my former question correct.” Chris retorts, sliding the pen between his two fingers. He looks away for a moment, glancing back down at his work, perfectly content with having Dan splutter beside him.

“I- no. I do not- I am not making out with Phil!” Dan exclaims. He immediately regrets it, as he notices a few students sitting close by glance over at him.

Chris bites his lip, stopping himself from laughing as a blush rises onto Dan’s cheeks. He averts his gaze, suddenly immensely interested in his text book.

“Funny, but I don’t seem to recall you denying that you find him attractive.”

Dan lets out a loud groan. So maybe PJ is correct. He might find Phil the slightest bit attractive. It’s hard to look past his gorgeous eyes and perfectly pale skin that seems to contrast so well against his silky looking black hair. His wonderfully cute smile that is practically contagious.  Besides, it’s not exactly like he can’t find someone attractive. He is only human; that is, if you disregard his supernatural ability to levitate objects.

He pauses for a bit too long, that and Chris knows him way too well.

“Good on you,” Chris proclaims, patting Dan generically on the back. “I say go for it.”

Dan almost snaps his pencil in half.   

-

Despite Chris’ desperate attempt to rile him up during class, he manages to restrain himself during both break and lunch. As soon as the final bell rolls around, Dan finds himself moderately excited. It’s been such a long time since he’s been invited to someone’s house, that wasn’t Chris or PJ. But mostly, he finds himself more excited at the fact that it is going to be with Phil.

He waits by the gate, silently praying for Phil to hurry up because, typical to English weather, it looks like it might bucket down at any moment. He spots Phil, waving at him from behind a bunch of students as he makes his way over.

Phil looks rather enthusiastic as he approaches, stopping next to Dan briefly. “Hey! Ready to go?”

Dan nods, before falling into step beside Phil as they walk the familiar path towards both their houses. “You didn’t bring an umbrella at all, did you?”

Phil glances at the sky, watching the imminent black clouds above him before shaking his head. “Uh, that’d be a no. Sorry.”

Dan laughs slightly, “I’m just as bad. Every morning my mum reminds me before she leaves for work I still never manage to remember.”

“Maybe if we are lucky it will hold off until-”

Before Phil can finish his sentence, small drops start to fall around them and it takes less than thirty seconds for it to turn from a light spit to a torrential shower. Dan almost groans; trust this to happen, when both of them were stupid enough to forget to pack the basics. He opens his mouth to make a retort about how the universe is completely out to get them, before his mouth abruptly snaps shut.

Phil reaches over, grabbing the ends of Dan’s jumper and part of his wrist, tugging him forward slightly. “So, I know we are both not fond of exercise but we might need to re-evaluate that for a moment.”

Dan blinks, taking a moment process that fact that Phil was practically gripping his hand. Phil looks over at him questionably, dropping his hand before Dan has the chance to reply. For split second there Dan wished that Phil hadn’t taken his hand away. “Uh yeah, okay. Good idea.”

They both pick up the pace, their clothes already beginning to stick to their bodies as they quickly go from dry to completely drenched.  Before Dan knows it they’ve rounded the corner and arrived at Phil’s house, which by the looks of it, is slightly bigger than his own.

He is more than grateful to be out of the storm, stood under the small shelter of the doorway as Phil fumbles with the lock. Dan shivers when the door finally opens, practically throwing him into the house with little grace. The warmth is an instant relief, and he can feel himself begin to slowly defrost despite the fact that he is still soaking.

“Wait here, I’ll grab you a towel,” Phil offers, hurrying down a hallway and to the left. Dan hops from side to side, trying to warm himself up that little bit more. He glances to the side, taking in the inside of Phil’s house. There is a lounge to the right of him and a set of stairs similar to his own on the left.

Phil returns; one towel draped around his neck, the other in his hand as he offers it to Dan.

“Thanks,” Dan says, running the towel though his hair. It’s going to go curly as it dries and he winces at the thought. 

It takes a moment for Dan to realise that a towel is not going to dry his clothes. He glances up at Phil, bitting the corner of his lip. It’s not as though he can ask to borrow some of Phil’s clothes. God, what would he even think? It’s a ridiculously stupid idea. He’ll just use the towel and get rid of as much water as possible.

He shrugs his jumper off, it sticks to his shirt slightly, making it a bit difficult to take off. With a bit of a struggle, Dan pulls it over his head, only to pause mid action as he hears Phil’s laughter.

“Would you like to borrow some clothes? I doubt you brought a spare pair with you, and you’re completely soaked.” Phil says it so casually that Dan almost thinks he was imagining it. Phil looks over expectantly for the second time that afternoon and Dan quickly mumbles a yes.

“Come on, my room’s upstairs.”

Phil smiles before he turns to lead Dan towards his bedroom. The first thing Dan notices as he enters the room is Phil’s impressive DVD collection; a long single shelf plastid to the side of the wall around chest height holds them. He makes his way over, glancing at the familiar anime and film titles carefully. They are stacked together neatly by category, which isn’t exactly surprising when Dan thinks about it.

He hears Phil rummaging around in what he assumes is his chest of drawers. When he turns around he takes a better look. Everything is tucked away relatively neatly. The double bed in the middle of the room, a green and blue quilt cover made a bit messily. There are a few plushies scattered around, some on the bed and others on top the desk and drawers, most on his bookshelf. Phil’s wall is also covered with a large amount of TV series posters, a large majority of them Buffy.

“Is that a picture of Sarah Michelle Gellar on your _ceiling?”_ Dan asks. Phil turns around, pile of clothes in hand.

“I think the real question here is, why _isn’t_ there a poster of Sarah Michelle Gellar on _your_ ceiling?”

Phil looks at him completely seriously, before his lips crack into a smile. Dan laughs, shaking his head as he does so. “Are you telling me I need to re-evaluate my life?”

“Completely,” Phil agrees, laughing as he shoves the small pile of clothes into Dan’s hands. “I expect to see a minimum of three Buffy posters when you invite me over.”

 Dan raises an eyebrow, “who says I’m going to want to invite you over?”

He is joking, of course. And Phil seems to catch on, calling his bluff. “If Chris gave me your number I’m sure he is almost more than capable of also giving me your address.”

“I believe that’s called stalking.”

“Not if you secretly like it.”

Dan and Phil both stare at each other before bursting into a fit of hysterics. Dan takes a few breaths to calm him down, before responding. “You are such a creep.”

Phil flashes him a bright smile. “If you want you can get changed in the bathroom? It’s just down the hall and to the right.”

Dan follows Phil’s instructions, making his way into the bathroom and getting changed. It feels a little weird, because he still doesn’t know Phil that well and now he is wearing his clothes. But at the same time it doesn’t.

He wanders back into Phil’s room, noticing that Phil has changed out of his clothes as well. Now wearing a plaid long sleeve top; similar to what Dan had seen him in the first time they met. If you could classify that five second encounter as meeting. He’s a little more than glad that he’s been able to see that again in an entirely different scenario.

“So I’m thinking a movie maybe? Up here is my personal collection. So pretty much most of my favourite movies or TV series. We have more stuff downstairs though, if you’d prefer.” Phil says, as soon as he notices the other male’s presence.

“Yeah, that sounds good. I’m a fan of like 90% of that entire shelf to be honest.”

“Awesome. We’ll I’m feeling something Marvel. Anything is fine, pick one. Then I declare that we make hot chocolates before we start.”

That sounds like one of the best combinations Dan has ever heard off. “The only thing that would complete that is ordering a pizza.”

“Help me convince mum and we are set then.”

They both have matching grins, mutually assuring each other of their plans. Dan picks a DVD, heading back downstairs after Phil. He laughs as Phil manages to somehow knock the coco powder off the counter.

“I’m a klutz, it’s a condition.”

“I prefer the term butterfingers,” Dan says, attempting to help Phil wipe up the mess.

As they put the film on, Phil chucks a blanket onto the couch for extra warmth. They watch most of the film in an easy silence, chucking in few relevant jokes along the way.

All of a sudden a thought pops into Dan’s head; the previous day’s occurrence circling in his mind. It occurs to Dan that maybe there was a reason as to why Phil never mentioned anything to anyone else. He hasn’t asked many questions, and Dan has been more than okay with that. However, suddenly he has a few questions of his own. He sits silently for a few moments, not focusing on the screen. Thoughts rolling around inside his head. Scenarios and possibilities and before he knows it, he’s voicing them.

“How come you didn’t tell anyone?” Dan asks suddenly. He practically blurts it out, not even having time to process that question before hand.

Phil looks at him from his spot on the couch, the movie forgotten at once. “Didn’t tell anyone what?”

Dan bites the inside of his cheek, it feels as though this topic is a bit taboo and he isn’t exactly sure why though. “After you saw me, you haven’t told anyone. You looked freaked out but, that obviously wasn’t what stopped you. How come you decided not to say anything?”

Dan says it so fast, as soon as his sentence starts he doesn’t seem to be able to stop, words spilling from his mouth faster than he can think them.

Phil fidgets in the spot a bit, shifting in his seat and bitting the corner of his lip. “There are a few reasons to be honest. I mean, besides the obvious fact that no one in their sane mind would believe me. _I saw a guy move a dumpster with his mind_ probably won’t go down so well.”

He chuckles slightly at the thought, imagining the worried and strange looks that would come along with that statement, and the possible questioning of his sanity.

“What else?” Dan questions, urging to know more. This question has been ticking at his mind ever since the incident in the alleyway. He watches Phil fumble with the edge of the blanket after he asks, looking a little nervous.

“You didn’t attack me, either. I mean you could have knocked me out as easily as the other guys, or even threatened me in some way. Made me so terrified I’d never want to leave my room again. But you didn’t. You looked so scared, almost like an animal trapped in a cage. You looked more scared than I felt. I guess you had good reason too, after being attacked like that. Then having someone witness the whole scene,” Phil explains, eyes resting on Dan as he does. “I wouldn’t want anyone to know if I was in your situation.”

Dan lets out a small humorous chuckle, “yeah, well, you didn’t see the after math. I truly believed I’d just fucked everything up.”

“Had you have known that you’d wind up sitting on my couch watching Captain America you might have stressed a little less,” Phil jokes, nodding towards the television screen. Dan lets loose a snort, rolling his eyes.

“Might have eased the tension a bit,” he says.

Phil hesitates a bit and Dan looks at him with a raised eyebrow. “There’s something else as well.”

Dan nods at him a bit, encouraging him silently.

Phil takes a deep breath before he continues, “when I was younger I had this fascination with super heroes. I had every costume in the books, sort of like an obsession. I spent years trying to find real life super heroes and wishing that I had some sort of power of my own. Usually people grow out of it when they get a bit older, but I was so adamant that they existed, I even got bullied in my first few years of high school because of it, all because of this stupid dream I had as a child. God this is so _embarrassing to_ _admit,_ especially because you’re sitting right in front of me. You’re practically a real life example.”

Dan smiles at him softly, forcing back the sudden urge to reach out and take his hand, “everyone has embarrassing childhood stories, trust me, this klutziness definitely comes naturally.”

“I’ll take your word for that,” Phil grins back a little bit.

“What dream was it anyway?” Dan asks, hoping that he isn’t pushing any sort of boundary. “I’m generally interested. No judgement, promise.”

“To be honest, I was so adamant it was real, but my parents insisted it wasn’t, I always had a vivid imagination. Especially as a young child,” Phil starts, hands resting on top of the blanket and in his lap. “There was this little kid, moving sand granules all around, he wasn’t touching them and there wasn’t any wind, not that wind could move it like that anyway. It twisted and turned in the air, it was beautiful and—Dan, are you okay?”

Dan’s mouth is agape, eyes so wide that they are almost impossibly big. His breath is caught in his lungs, staring directly at Phil. It fills Phil with a small sense of panic.

“Dan, hey, what’s wrong?” he asks, moving forward, his hand resting on Dan’s knee.

“I just- Phil. Jesus Christ. I don’t even know what to say,” Dan mumbles, voice slightly shaky. “That wasn’t a dream.”

Phil’s face scrunches up in confusion, “What do you mean--”

“That kid playing in the sand box was me.”

Silence fills the room and Phil’s hand clenches against Dan’s knee. His breath comes out just as shaky as Dan’s, disbelief filling his face.

It seems to take forever before Phil speaks up, slowly like the information just won’t process. “I just, I don’t understand. We’ve never even met before. How can, how can that be _you.”_

Dan doesn’t know the answer either; his hand reaches down and clenches Phil’s, giving it a squeeze in reassurance, even though he isn’t sure of anything himself. “I dunno, that was the first time I’d ever done anything in public…and that girl. Fuck, Phil. I don’t know how this is even possible.”

“I moved to Manchester about a month or two after. But I just, that’s too weird, right?”  Phil asks, mind racing at the biggest coincidence that had just occurred in his life.

“I know,” Dan mumbles.

“And it wasn’t a dream.”

“It wasn’t,”

Phil just stares at Dan, like he still can’t believe this is actually happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this count as a plot twist? Not really, haha. This wasn't meant to be anything too huge. They are to come later in the story! But this is the beginning of Phan, and I promise you it will be coming up relatively soon. Thanks for all the lovely comments I got last chapter. And as always, thanks for reading.  
> Also, sorry in advance for any heart strings I may pull next chapter ;)


	9. This Ain't a Scene, It's a Screw Up

Phil’s facial expression is practically burnt into Dan’s skull. He replays the moment on repeat, seeing Phil’s eyes go wide, mouth agape and hand’s shaking at his side. Somehow, everything seems to suddenly make sense; the feeling of recognition that was somehow always looming in the back of his mind. He can see it now, bright sapphire eyes, staring at him in wonder and awe.

“I don’t, I’m not sure what to say,” Phil mumbles after a while. He wipes his palms on his jeans, cleaning one hand into the blanket as the other fidgets at his side. Dan has the strange urge to comfort him, intertwine their fingers and reassure him that everything will be okay.

“Yeah, I- uh, I don’t really know either,” Dan says. He lets out a deep breath, slumping back into the couch. The first real predominate pause fills the room in a long while and Dan hates it. It’s not awkward or even anxious, like most of the times before this. But it’s still evident. This time it’s more surprising, mutually unsure of what has really just happened. Running a hand though his chocolate coloured hair, he lets out another sigh, glancing up at the ceiling. He wants to look over at the male next to him, but he isn’t sure what to say, or how to go about this circumstance.

It almost feels as though everything that they have accomplished and felt during the past few weeks has re-entered his mind, but in a new sort of light; that this sudden discovery changes everything.

“It’s so weird though, don’t you think?” Phil says, glancing over. “Like, out of everything that could have ever happened. We’ve met before. It’s kind of weird, but sort of awesome. It’s just, really strange but almost isn’t, at the same time. Don't ask me how that works.”

Dan finds a smile tugging on his lips. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised by what Phil was saying. But then again it’s both completely new information to them, so unexpected, but what he’s saying makes sense in the strangest way. Phil’s description is practically a summary of his own feelings. At least to some extent.

“Kind of awesome, that’s your choice of description?”

Phil nods, his fringe falling messily around as he does so, and for some reason, Dan has the urge to reach over and fix it for him. “That’s exactly it. How would you describe it?”

“Like a fucking miracle, seriously. The universe is fucking screwing with me. Or us, I suppose. Not really sure anymore.”

Phil looks over at him, eyebrows raised before he notices the smile on Dan’s lips. 

“I’m not going to complain,” he states. This time Dan gives him a curious look. “I mean, sure it’s pretty strange and I’m not going to say it happened for a reason, because that would be cliché and sort of ridiculous, but yeah. I’m sort of glad it did.”

A sense of delight fills Dan as soon as Phil finishes his sentence, because Dan feels exactly the same way. After everything, there isn’t anything that he would change.

“This is way too cliché and strange. Jesus, I don’t even know what is going on, anymore.”

Phil looks directly at Dan, his features soft, giving Dan that small smile that somehow manages to make his heart flutter. “I wouldn’t change it, though.”

Dan is pretty sure that his expression matches Phil’s own. “Yeah.”

-

“So are you going to invite Phil to your house this weekend?” Chris questions, as he approaches Dan’s locker, PJ following close by his side.

“Yeah, actually, I was thinking about it. I mean, he’s been hanging around with us all week, so if it is cool with you guys then I’ll ask?” Dan replies, shuffling a few objects around in his locker as he does so.

“Both Chris and I pretty much assumed you would anyway,” PJ says, just as Dan turns around and closes his locker.

“The fantastic foursome, weekend chill. It’s officially a thing.”

Dan’s draw drops, while PJ groans, shovelling his head into his hands, like he still can’t believe he is actually hearing those words.

“ _The fantastic what?”_ Dan asks. He should probably be used to Chris’ antics by now, but every time something like that spills from the other male’s mouth he feels as though he reverts straight back to shell shocked.

“Foursome,” Chris answers simply.

He isn’t exactly sure what Chris is actually on about.

“He came up with it this morning,” PJ explains. “He seems to think it’s fitting.”

“It _is_ fitting.” Chris confirms.

“How is that fitting?”

“Because there are four of us, and well, at least three of us have super awesome abilities so, I suppose we can round it off. Don’t people always have a human side kick in the movies anyway?”

Dan lets out a deep breath. “Sometimes I don’t get you. Actually no, I don’t understand you at all, Kendall.”

“I choose not to question it anymore,” PJ comments, leaning against the lockers in defeat.

“So it’s settled,” Chris says, completely ignoring the conversation going on around him. “The fantastic foursome it is.”

He pauses, before adding as an afterthought, “just wait until I inform Phil.”

Dan and PJ let out a collective groan.

-

When Saturday rolls around Dan’s a little surprised to find Phil at the door a little earlier than he anticipated. He fixes his fringe, almost subconsciously before he answers. Despite them hanging around at school a lot more, this is the first time Phil has been over, and for some reason Dan finds himself slightly nervous.

He pulls open the door, only to be greeted by Phil. He smiles at Dan, and he fills that familiar tightening of his chest as he takes in the other boy’s appearance; Pokémon shirt and tight black jeans with a pack of cookies in hand.

“Come prepared?” Dan asks, nudging his head slightly towards the arm that Phil is holding his food in.

“Yeah, well no one told me if I was supposed to bring anything, but I figured if I rocked up with cookies no one would complain.” Phil jokes. Dan steps to the side, smiling at him and Phil walks past, glancing around as he does so in an attempt to take everything in.

“Who said I won’t just take your cookies and kick you out?” Dan quips and is greeted by one of Phil’s brighter smiles, that sits slightly to the left side.

“We are a packaged deal, unfortunately.”

Dan laughs, closing the door behind him and leading Phil into the lounge room. “I suppose you can stay, then.”

Just as they both enter, they both notice the figure in the opposite entrance way. Adrian walks in, sandwich in hand. His coffee coloured eyes glance between the two of them, before he takes a few more steps forward, filling in some distance between them. His eyes focus on Phil, an amused look crossing his face.

“So that’s Phil?” Adrian questions, looking away from the male in front of him and up at Dan, a small smirk filling his face. Phil looks slightly surprised, glancing over at Dan before looking back at the unknown male in front of him.

“Yeah, Phil this is Adrian, my younger brother.” Dan says, looking between both of them as a means of introduction. Phil gives up a small wave, but stops as Adrian snickers to himself.

“The same Phil that you’re not friends with?”

Dan lets off a nervous laugh as Phil looks at him. “Well not exactly, not anymore.”

“Clearly,” Adrian continues to snicker, he takes one more look between the both of them, before turning around and exiting the lounge room, satisfactory grin evident on his face.

“Um, should I apologise for that?” Dan asks. He looks somewhat apologetic, shrugging up at Phil and biting the corner of his lip.

Phil laughs it off, turning towards the TV and taking a few steps towards the PlayStation. “Nope, but I will challenge you to a game of tag-team racing.”

“As long as you are prepared to admit defeat,” Dan says, following in Phil’s previous footsteps and beginning to set everything up.

“You wish.”

It’s almost an hour later before the door swings open. Dan knows who it is instantly, Chris being the only person in the world who refuses to knock on the door. He hears them shuffle around before they finally enter the lounge, shoes off and a backpack in hand.

“You can now officially start the party. You’re honoured guests have arrived.” Chris announces, walking into the room, hands entwined with PJ’s.

“Guys, weren’t you supposed to be here like, 50 minutes ago?” Dan asks. A guilty look flashes over PJ’s, face. Chris on the other hand, has a wide smile, stretching his hands above his head and giving the whole room a view of his stomach in the process.

“Yeah, sorry. Chris kept us waiting.”

Phil pipes up from his spot on the couch, remote resting in his lap. “I was just wondering, but, Chris, is your shirt inside out?”

A blush spreads across PJ’s face and Dan face palms as he watches Chris reach backwards and lift the collar of his T-shit up, noticing the tag sticking out at the back.  He lets out a small ‘Oh’ and Phil looks between the two of them for a few moments, somewhat confused, before the pieces finally click into place.

“Jesus Christ, are you telling me that both of you were late because you were getting in a final screw before you came over?” Dan states, his head rolling backwards in disbelief. He’s a little torn between thinking the situation is hilarious or disturbing. The blush on PJ’s cheeks becomes dark, as Chris wraps a hand around his waist, practically pulling the brunette into his chest.

“Would you prefer us having sexy fun times while we are _here?”_

Chris appears to be completely un-phased by the idea, which is somehow not surprising to Dan in the slightest. Phil on the other hand, just blinks, like he isn’t exactly sure if the scene in front of him is real.

“ _Chris_ ,” PJ groans, rolling his eyes. He has a small smile on his face, like he can’t help but find this whole situation a little bit humorous.

“I can’t believe you just called that _sexy fun times._ Is there actually something wrong with you?”

“Always,” Chris replies, chucking a quick peck on his boyfriend’s cheek, before releasing him and sitting down in the small gap between Phil and the other side of the couch. “Besides there are a few other names I could call it, I could describe it if you want, I’m good at giving details, if you’re really interested. Peej makes these adorable little moans when I--”

“ _No._ ”

The chorus of words fill the air, all three boys having similar looks of dread on their face. PJ looks as though he wants to sink into the floor, and Dan doesn’t blame him one bit. He isn’t even really involved in the situation and he is practically praying for the couch to swallow him whole and stop Chris from talking.

“He’s kidding, right?” Phil asks, but the looks on his face clearly states otherwise. Chris chucks him a grin, practically confirming the exact opposite.

“Do you not have a filter?” Dan asks. Chris looks like he is having way too much fun.

“Are you at least going to fix your top?” Phil asks.

If it’s even possible, Chris manages to smile that bit wider.

“Not a chance.”

-

In hindsight, monopoly was probably not the best game to play. Because despite Dan’s constant faith in his ability to win at any game, for some reason that doesn’t manage to fall into the category of board games.

“You are an incredibly sore loser.” Phil teases, as he follows Dan into the kitchen.

Dan lets off a small snort. “I believe the term is an incredibly bad winner who also doesn’t like to lose.”

“So really, there isn’t a win for anyone that plays with you, expect maybe gloating rights.”

Dan shoots him a looks, before going over and grabbing a set of cups from the bench.

“I mean, okay, I’m a competitive person by nature but at least I don’t crack fits, like okay maybe when I was younger I’d make the cards go flying in opposite directions but that’s better than Chris burning a hole in the board, like seriously, who does that.”

Phil looks at Dan for a moment, eyebrows twisted in confusion. “How did Chris burn a hole in the board?”

“Because he lacks serious self control, seriously, fucking blowing shit up when he’s angry-”

Dan freezes, instantly dropping the glass in his hand, before it shatters on the floor. It’s at that exact moment Dan realises he screwed up. He holds his breath, trying to keep calm, but he knows, he doesn’t have a proper explanation for what he just said.

“Dan?” Phil questions. He takes a step forward, carefully, concern evident on his face.

The younger boy takes a step back, biting his lip. “Jesus, I really wasn’t kidding when I said I was clumsy earlier.”

He lets out a shaky laugh; reaching over to grab a towel in the process. He bends down, picking up the pieces of glass, hands trembling.

Dan swallows, sucking in a deep breath as Phil reaches out to clasp his hand. His heart is beating at a million miles an hour. He feels panicked, but somehow a small part of him is focused on the fact that Phil is actually holding his hand.

“Dan,” Phil repeats, this time his tone is a lot softer. He crouches down until he is at eye level. Dan can see the gentleness in his sapphire orbs and even though he screwed up, he feels a sense of security.

“I’m sorry,” Dan breathes and he isn’t entirely sure whether he’s referring to everything he just said or for what he is possibly going to have to explain. 

Phil takes the cloth out of Dan’s hand, picking up the pieces himself before standing up and making his way over to the bin. Dan follows in suit, standing up and watching Phil in the process.

“You don’t have to apologise, but I don’t really…understand.”

Dan shakes his head, letting out a deep breath in the process. “I know, and maybe I should…explain. But it’s not my decision. I mean, it was a total accident and I know I really fucked up and Chris is probably going to kill _me_.”

He raises his head, glancing at the raven haired male across from him. He wants to tell him, he really does. There is a strong part of him that trusts Phil; it fills every inch of his body, over ruling any other emotion.

Phil bites his lip, like he is tossing up between saying something. After a moment he finally speaks and Dan swears he can hear a hint of remorse. “It’s okay, just forget it.”

Dan stays still, watching as Phil heads back into the lounge, letting guilt consume him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you go. Newest chapter is up. I hope Dan didn't pull on any heart strings this chapter, except maybe his own ;) Thanks for reading, commenting and all the Kudos. I'm glad so many of you are enjoying this.


	10. Explanations

Phil managers to act like everything is normal, despite Dan’s former, massive screw up.  He walks back into the room, chatting with both Chris and Peej as though the events never occurred. But Dan knows they did, and he can see that Phils acting less natural than usual. Pauses in his laughter and small smiles, nothing remotely close to his usual self. It’s not the same.

PJ seems to pick up on it too. He gives Dan a questioning glance, silently asking for some sort of answer. Dan ignores it; after all it’s not exactly like he can bring it up now.  Not only did he ruin a level of trust between himself and Phil, he probably also completely screwed it up with both Chis and PJ.

Dan knows that he really fucked up this time.

As soon as they all leave the house, he practically runs into his room. He can feel his abilities swirling around under the surface of his skin, reflecting his emotions. He has to keep himself under control, but all he wants to do is call Phil and beg for his forgiveness. But he can’t, because he can’t offer him any sort of explanation or logical reasoning. He can’t just blurt out that his two other best friends also have a secret much like his own. But he wants to, _god_ does he want to.

He shoves a hand into his hair, running it though the brown stands. His thoughts are so conflicted, and his deep breathing isn’t offering him any aspect of control like it usually does. He can really feel it now, his ability practically itching at the surface of his skin. Almost like a bubble that wants to burst.

Dan’s mind reels, torn between his conflicting emotions and _fuck it_.

He lets loose; practically feeling the energy pour out of him. The books on his bookshelf fly off in a number of different directions. Zooming past his head and onto the wall behind him, hitting in random succession with a set of loud thumps. His computer chair is next, rocketing away from his desk and into the side of his bed so fast that it almost tips over. The posters on his wall detach, flinging in random directions, several ripping apart in the process.

Dan doesn’t notice it occur. His eyes close and all he can hear is the thumping of his own heart, practically beating as if it existed within his ears. He can feel his ability crackling as it releases, almost as if it could cause actual sparks of electricity within the air. An intense wave leaving his body, pulsating outwards and leaving him with a strange sense of serenity.

When he opens his eyes again, he takes in the damage. His room is a complete mess; objects piled on top of things, scattered bits of paper, lamp shade tipped over and broken, pieces of its plaster on top of various other items. His desk has even moved slightly, a whole foot closer to him then it originally was.

He should be freaking out. It’s been so many years since he’s lost this level of control, since he has physically felt his powers ache to get out.  

But for some reason, he feels oddly calm. And for an even stranger reason, he feels like now would be the perfect time to call PJ.

_We really need to talk._

-

The next day doesn’t come quickly enough, and yet, somehow at the same time it also feels like it happened completely on fast forward. Dan watches Phil walk into the room, eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. Phil glances over towards Chris and PJ, who are sitting side by side in the middle of Chris’ room, legs crossed. 

“Hi,” Phil says, stepping though the door way and making his way towards the others. He glances back at Dan momentarily, before following his friends’ lead and getting on the floor.

“Hey,” Dan greets in return, pushing himself up off of Chris’ bed and making his way to the door, pausing his movements only to close it. He turns around, leaning back against the frame momentarily before pushing himself off and making his way over towards the others.

Neither of them say anything for a moment, almost as if an unspoken understanding of silence is needed, until Phil finally speaks up. “So, um, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” PJ says. It’s meant to come off reassuringly, but Dan doubts that Phil is feeling that way. “We’ve just got something important to discuss.”

Phil glances between all of them; uncertainty fills his eyes before they finally rest on Dan. There is no doubt in Dan’s mind that Phil is fully aware that his conversation is going to be about the events that occurred the night before.

“Well, it’s mostly because Dan fucked up, but hey, whatever. We were going to tell you eventually.”  Chris pipes up.

Dan wants to grumble, or complain. But he can’t, because Chris is right and not even PJ can correct him. It was an accident, but he still feels a little guilty. However, there is also a part of him that isn’t. Something that tells him that Phil deserves to know.

“Tell me what?”

Chris smirks; the question lighting up his eyes like he just found out it was Christmas. His hand reaches outwards, palm facing up. There’s the sudden crack, almost like a spark of energy before his palm fills up. Bright orange flames emerge, burning rapidly and rather hypnotically, slightly larger than the actual size of his palm.

Phil’s breath catches in his throat, words completely failing him. His eyes are wide in disbelief, as if he is trying to determine what is actually happening right in front of him. His hand reaches forward slightly, as though to touch it, lingering closely and feeling the radiating warmth.

“You can control fire.” It’s less a question and more a statement. Phil’s voice is just above a whisper. “You can _create fire_.”

His eyes leave the flames before focusing on Chris, and flicking between them both, as though it offers some sort of insight. Chris nods as the flames move, spreading over his entire hand. Phil watches it occur rather hypnotically, eyes almost comically wide.

“So when Dan said you burnt a hole in the board he meant a _literal hole_.”

Dan bites his lip, nodding. Phil doesn’t notice though, still focusing on the image before him. The flames change colour, swirling around slightly and speaking different shades of red, yellow and blue. He knows that Chris is doing this on purpose; showing the more enchanting side to his abilities.

“How does it work? How does any of this work?” Phil asks after a moment, finally looking away.

“To be honest, we aren’t exactly sure. After all, the three of us are the only ones we know of that have abilities, if you want to call them that,” PJ explains, a long leg leaving its crossed position and stretching out in front of him.  “We think Chris’s works by harnessing energy at will, almost like a small sort of combustion, an oxidisation of sorts. Not exactly sure how he can cause that, though. That is really the biggest mystery around everything. Besides, both Dan and I have even less clue about what we do.”

Phil looks a little lost, like he is trying to process an information overload. Dan reaches a hand out, as an offering of some sort of support, almost resting it on his friend’s arm before hastily retracting it, because this is so not the right time to be doing this. For all he knows, Phil could still be mad at him, or worse. He could still be disappointed. Which, in all fairness, Dan believes he probably wholeheartedly deserves.

 Phil doesn’t seem to notice, too caught up in PJ’s words. “I- wait you and Dan. As in, you can do something too?”

Chris extinguishes the flames; it fading out like it never existed in the first place. Phil’s eyes widen once again as he watches, still somewhat unable to contemplate everything happening around him.

“Peej can read your thoughts,” Chris states.

Phil’s mouth drops open at sonic speed, his breath once again momentarily stopped. PJ’s elbow lands in Chris’ side, as he shakes his head in denial.

“I _can’t_ read minds; Chris is trying to fuck with you.” PJ announces, as Chris frowns slightly and rubs the spot.

“Worth it for the look on your face, though,” he mumbles.

A look of relief washes over Phil. Dan can’t help but wonder why, but he supposes that the understanding of someone else being able to read your every thought, completely without your own knowledge is more than enough of a reason.

“I’m an empath. I can sense emotions in other people, and replicate them, sort of like a projection. Sometimes I can even control, or subdue them too, like anxiety or even happiness.”

Dan chimes in after PJ finishes. “He can also, sort of sense things, but only if they have a strong emotional base or connection. Like when someone is extremely nervous, or for example, someone who might have an ability. That’s basically how the three of us became friends.”

“So you, like, what? Sensed Dan’s telekinesis? And Chris’ fire…thing?”

“Pyrokinesis, actually,” Chris states somewhat proudly.

Phil corrects himself, “Yeah, uh, that.”

“It’s more like, an emotional connection that is a bit different. For example, generally each of our powers are linked to our emotions, or at least they are to some extent. So there is just something a little, different about the person that I can sense. I can’t exactly describe it.” PJ continues, “it is almost an extra sort of aura. For example, when Chris was younger and he got mad or upset, he couldn’t always control his fires, which lead to a lot of burnt or broken objects. Or for me, if I was extremely happy, everyone around me was also happy. But If I was sad, a lot of people in my general vicinity were too. It’s all inter-connected.”

There is a slight pause after PJ finishes speaking. Phil leans back a little, letting out an involuntary sigh.  

“So you all know about the thing with me and Dan, right?”

Dan bites the inside of his cheek, fidgeting with the pocket hemming on his jeans. It’s not like he didn’t expect Phil to ask these sort of questions, but he’s sort of worried that Phil will be un-easy with the answers; almost like Phil might believe that Dan betrayed him in some way.

He speaks up, silently hoping that Phil will understand. “I told them, yeah. Peej could sense something was up. It wasn’t exactly the easiest experience to hide, and I didn’t even know you before then. I’m sorry, Phil. Really. I promise.” 

“You don’t have to apologise, Dan,” Phil says, in a soft tone of voice, similar to the other day. Dan’s heart almost bursts, and he feels an imminent sense of relief. Phil looks over at him, and Dan can see the understanding practically written across his features. “Its fine, I get it. You’ve got nothing to be apologetic for.”

Dan is suddenly torn between wanting to pull him into a hug, and almost wanting to cry. Phil has been nothing but completely understanding throughout this whole scenario, and even though he has the right to feel betrayed and angry at Dan for his actions and evasion, he isn’t. If Dan thinks about it, he is pretty sure that it would be impossible to find someone more caring and forgiving than the gorgeous male sitting right beside him.

“Well, now that you’ve had your lovely corny moment, any other questions?” Chris comments, feigning disgust. Dan has to restrain himself from shooting a glare in the brunette’s direction, but he notices that PJ is smiling at him, and Dan’s reaction quickly changes from annoyed to mildly embarrassed. He is completely sure PJ knows exactly what he just felt towards Phil. 

“Is there anyone else that knows?” Phil asks.

Dan shakes his head. “Just the four of us know. I mean, our parents know about us individually, but not that all of us possess abilities collectively. They’d probably flip out, or at least my parents possibly would. None of us know exactly why it happened. They just sort of developed, each at different ages and progressions. If someone finds out, we don’t know what would happen.”

“And that’s why you were so freaked out.” Phil says, the soft tone returning, a small amount of guilt reflecting in his eyes. “God, _I’m_ sorry Dan. If anything it should be me apologising for freaking you out so much.”

This time, Dan really does have to restrain himself from reaching across and hugging him. “It’s fine, seriously. You have nothing to apologise for either. I mean it.”

Chris clears his throat, directing all attention back to him. “Am I disturbing a moment?”

“Pretty sure you’re general presence disturbs everything.” PJ quips, much to Dan’s delight.

Phil smiles at them, sincerely happy. “Thanks for telling me, I know you didn’t have to, but, you know. I’m sort of grateful that you trust me enough.”

“Yeah, well, after you didn’t out Dan we figured it was pretty much a done deal.” Chris comments, shrugging. “Besides, we can’t be the fantastic foursome without a fourth member. That’d be lame.”

“He’s not going to let that go, is he?” Phil asks, watching the communal eye roll occurring.

“Not a chance,” Dan comments, a smile lingering on his face. As ridiculously stupid as Chris’ comment is, he’s actually pretty glad.

-

It’s less cold than usual as Dan and Phil head towards their separate homes. The light is still illuminating the streets, but only barely, the sun setting right before their eyes. His heart swells, filled with so much joy about the outcome today. Because Phil is walking beside him, along the usual path and it feels so familiar and complete that Dan would no longer want it any other way.

They don’t speak, perfectly content with the silence and the beautiful scenery around them. Dan’s heard thumps slightly fast in his chest, as his hands occasionally brushes against Phils own as they swing by his sides.

Phil slows his pace down, right before his turn off.

“Dan?” He mumbles, turning to face the brunette. Dan follows in suit, looking down at Phil slightly as he does so.

“Yeah?”

Phil doesn’t respond, instead he steps forward, filling in the small gap between them. His arms wrap around Dans torso, pulling him forwards and pressing him right up against his chest.

Dan’s breath catches in his throat, freezing momentarily before clicking into gear and wrapping his own arms around Phil in return. He feels Phil shift slightly, Phils black hair tickling his cheek as he finally speaks.

“Thank you, Dan.”

They linger for a moment longer, Phil resting his chin on crook between Dan’s neck and shoulder, before he finally pulls away. Phil’s smile is as wide as ever and Dan is pretty sure he mimics him.

And as Phil steps away, waves at him and walks across the road, to make his way down his own street, Dan stands there, the memory burning into his mind as the light fades into darkness. Even in the cold, it takes more than five minutes for Dan to stop feeling Phil’s warmth.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was probably one of my favourite chapters to write. Closely followed by next chapter. Its a toss up, really. Hope you liked it as much as I did. Thanks for reading. And for those lovely individuals who give Kudos or comment, thank you too!


	11. Accidental Perfection

A nervous sense of excitement fills Dan as he wanders though the familiar streets, Phil in pace by his side. He doesn’t know exactly what to think about them both now, but he’s sure that something has changed. Ever since the weekend’s actions, he feels closer, more drawn to Phil. Butterflies have a tendency to fill his stomach in the best possible way, whenever the blue eyed boy is around.

Dan is almost positive that Phil feels the same way, or at least might somewhat have a level of mutual feelings. He has caught Phil staring at him a few times, when he obviously thought Dan wasn’t looking, averting his eyes as soon as Dan noticed. He has even noticed Phil standing closer than usual, like an invisible barrier between them has finally been lifted.

His hands swing by his side, almost close enough to brush against Phils, but just falling short.

“I was thinking,” Phil announces as he slows down his walking speed slightly. “Maybe if you want we could hang out for a while before going home? There is kind of something that I wanted to show you.”

Nodding his head, Dan agrees. The butterflies in his stomach increase tenfold. He is sure that Phil didn’t mean to sound so ambiguous, but there are now a million thoughts running though his head as to what that something might actually _be._

“Awesome, it’s a bit of a walk though. Probably like, twenty minutes, if that’s okay.” Phil clarifies, and Dan once again nods his head, almost as if he isn’t capable of talking.

Phil smiles at him, before reaching his hand out just that little bit more and closing his hand around Dan’s.  His fingers slowly intertwine with Dan’s own, and Dan tries to remember how to breathe, because he may have just forgotten for a moment there.

Phil looks at him, smile becoming slightly timid as if silently asking for permission. It only takes a short moment before Dan grins back in response. Wider then he has possibly ever smiled before, and a blush slightly forming on his cheeks.

“Yeah, that’s…perfect,” Dan says, after a moment’s pause. Phil seems to catch on, gripping his hand just that little bit tighter and running his thumb along the back of Dan’s hand once. Phil shoots him another signature smile, tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly as he tugs them down a side road and towards their destination. 

Dan’s a little lost for words, perfectly content and nervous all at once. Phil’s hand is warm and comforting, but it sends small tingles up Dan’s arm as they walk, swinging between them as they continue down the pathway.

“Where are we going?” Dan asks after several minutes of content silence. He knows the street they are walking down, but he doesn’t have anything specific in mind as to where it might lead too. For the most part, this part of town is just a bunch of houses.

“That’d ruin the surprise,” Phil teases.

Dan pouts, torn between wanting to know and also wanting to let it be a surprise.

“Just a clue?”

“You’ve been there before,” Phil admits.

Dan groans, rolling his eyes as he glances at the male beside him. “What kind of a clue was that?”

Phil laughs at Dan’s reaction, squeezing his hand slightly as he does so. “An elusive one.”

The younger male shakes his head, unable to help the small smile that forms on his lips as he does so. “Elusive is like the opposite word I’d use to describe you.”

Phil fakes offense, “obviously not, this conversation clearly proves otherwise.”

Dan tries to hide his smile, the corners of his lips still protruding slightly upwards. “You not telling me our destination is more along the lines of stubborn, not elusive.”

“What exactly would you use to describe me, then?”

“Um,” Dan says, shuffling in a small breath. He isn’t sure exactly what he is supposed to say because he isn’t sure if saying _your really fucking hot and sweet and funny and everything I want_ is exactly appropriate in this situation.

Phil gives his hand another squeeze of encouragement and Dan’s heart practically skips a beat.  

“Inquisitive and caring, I suppose.”

It’s not exactly everything, but Dan still isn’t sure where they stand. After all, holding someone’s hand doesn’t exactly mean much. Phil’s always been kind and caring and this might just be a way he expresses it though friendship. Regardless of the little voice in the back of Dan’s head telling him otherwise. He shouldn’t really get his hopes up.

Phil hums in response, like he is processing the answer.

“That’s only because you’re sort of fascinating.” Phil says, a little quietly.

Dan lets out a small laugh. “Well, yeah. I suppose having the ability to move objects at whim will do that.”

Phil shakes his head slightly, his voice coming out steady and even, completely different to his previous tone. “It’s not just that, Dan.”

Dan blinks, momentarily thrown off by Phil’s words. He wants to ask exactly what that means, because that could mean so many different things.  And the more Dan thinks about it, the more it causes his breath to catch and heart to pound that little bit faster.

He doesn’t get to know, as Phil stops walking, turning slightly to the right and pulling Dan into a halt beside him.

The sight is instantly recognisable. The familiarity sinks in and Dan stands in a stunned silence, taking in the sight before him. The familiar set of trees, park benches and playground all bring back flashes of memories, but none more so than the sand box sitting slightly to the left of the main play area. It’s a little different to when they were both children, but it still looks similar enough for Dan to tell exactly what it once was.

He takes a small step forward, in a sense of awe. He isn’t exactly sure how this didn’t click. But then again, his mother had never taken him back to this particular park after the incident.

“I-Phil,” Dan stutters, uncertain of what he is really trying to say.

“I figured it would be sort of exciting to come back and see everything again. After our sudden realisation last week.” Phil explains and steps forward to be in line with Dan. He doesn’t let their hands go, instead takes another step forward, encouraging Dan to come along with him.  “This is okay, yeah?”

Dan nods, following Phil direction as he leads them towards and through the playground, stopping only as he reaches a large oak tree near the sandpit in which they originally met. Phil however doesn’t drop Dan’s hand, looking at him with the same smile still on his face and sitting down on the patch of grass under the tree. Dan follows in suit, shuffling backwards so his back is resting against the oak tree, both their hands resting in the small gap between them.

It’s then Dan notices that no one else is around, that the park is empty besides the two of them. Phil shoulder is almost brushing against his own as he glances around and takes in the site around them. Dan feels an overwhelming surge of comfort and warmth and _attraction_. Everything about Phil just seems to draw him in, his thoughtfulness and awe about the world sits in his eyes as he glances around.  He has the urge to just press himself against Phil’s side and let his shoulder rest in the crook of his neck.

“Do you think you could show me?” Phil asks suddenly.

Dan raises an eyebrow at his question, drawn out of his thought process. “Show you?”

Phil nods towards the sandbox. “Like…you did before? I mean, you don’t have to. No pressure, but I can remember it so clearly, ya know? It’s sort of hard to forget. It’s kind of beautiful.”

Dan’s decision was made before Phil even started explaining. He inches closer to Phil, until he is touching his side and holds their hands up. He unwinds their fingers, watching Phil’s falling slowly back down, practically settling on Dan’s lap.

This time, he focuses on the leaves beside them. Different coloured leaves rise from the ground, some maple, some oak. They flutter upwards and forwards, swirling around in different motions. Phil holds his hand out, in a similar fashion to what he had previously done, resting right beside Dan’s. The leaves wrap around both of their hands, grazing the skin as they move in timed circles. The leaves float in the air, some floating up high into the air and gracefully falling back to the ground.

Phil’s eyes looks all around, lit up in awe at the sight before him. It’s not sand like last time, but it’s just as hypnotising. Colours of green and brown wave through the air, brushing around and fluttering in the most beautiful way.

“This okay?” Dan asks, his eyes no longer focusing on the leaves around him, but on the onyx male next to him. He gives a timid smile, his dimples showing prominently as Phil tears his sapphire eyes away to look into Dan’s own cinnamon coloured ones.

“Perfect,” Phil responds. He stares at Dan as he says it, eyes locking into place with Dan’s own. He inches closer slowly, his lips only a whisper away from Dan’s own. Pausing for only a second, Phil presses his lips against Dan’s own, hand reaching from beside them to press against his cheek.

It only takes a moment for Dan to process what is happening, his movements momentarily frozen in surprise. He presses his lips against Phil’s, pressing closer to his side as he does so. The butterflies in his stomach flutter heavily as he clenches his fists into Phil’s shirt.

They pull away slightly, brown eyes once again locked with blue and then they are kissing once more. Dan shifts as Phil pulls him closer, practically sitting in his lap. Dan’s hands wrapping around the other male’s neck, pushing upwards and through the silky black locks. Phil’s arms clench around Dan’s waist, thumbs circling the slightly exposed flesh from where his shirt has ridden up.

The weight of Dan pushes Phil back slightly, leaning backwards against the tree trunk in their upright position. Dan licks gently across Phil’s lips, and the other boy is quick to respond, opening his mouth and letting Dan slip his tongue in. He memorises every inch of Phil’s mouth, tongue circling and pushing against Phil’s own, in a sense of relief and haste all at once.  It feels like a bolt of electricity is going off inside Dan, swirling under his skin and though his body in the best way possible. Phil’s hands on his skin tingle, and the sensation washing over him feels so overwhelming that he never wants it to end.

Phil pulls away, panting slightly and Dan thinks that at this point in time, he is probably the most gorgeous he has ever been.

“Dan?” Phil questions, his eyes widening slightly. For a moment it causes a small sense of panic, for Dan to believe he has done something wrong. But he follows Phil’s line of sight, looking to the side and behind them. He sees it then. The leaves all around them raised highly in the sky, many more than Dan had previously used to show Phil. The range of the park doesn’t have a single leaf on the ground; instead they are all filling the air in different heights, colours blending into the space around them.

“Oh- er, I don’t – I mean,” Dan mumbles, slightly at awe himself. He hadn’t even realised that he had managed to do this, too caught up in the moment to be fully aware of what was actually happening. All he could focus on was the feeling of _Phil_. The feeling he’d been wishing to have for so long that it practically overwhelmed him. Dan switches his attention away slightly, even though the only thing he wants to focus on is the warmth from Phil’s hands on his hips. He forces himself to focus on the scene around him and not on the unbelievably fantastic moment he just shared with the beautiful sapphire eyed man next to him. That does the trick; the leaves all suddenly stop floating and begin slowly falling to the ground.

Phil lets loose a small laugh, as one gently floats down, managing to fall between the small gap where both their chests almost touch. The brown leaf flutters down, swirling slightly as it does so, and both boys have a wide smile on the face.

“I didn’t mean for that to actually happen,” Dan admits, shifting on Phil’s lap slightly so he is no longer facing forward. Instead his back is pressed up against Phil’s chest snuggly, enjoying the warmth and trying to come to terms with the fact that, yes, he did actually manage to kiss _Phil Lester._ The realisation is so surreal and his heart starts skipping a beat at the thought. The butterflies once again churn around in his stomach and he sighs contently as Phil’s hands continue to rub circles on his slightly exposed hip flesh.

Phil leans forward, his head close to Dan and resting slightly on the junction between the younger male’s neck and shoulder.  “Is that going to happen every time we kiss?”

Dan’s heart almost leaps out of his chest when he hears those words because _holy crap Phil is literally suggesting that we do that again._

“It’d be worth it, right?” Dan questions, and all hesitation leaves his thoughts as Phil speaks his next sentence.

“Even without the possibility of you doing amazingly supernatural things? Yeah, it’d be totally worth it.”

Dan doesn’t even think as he leans back around and presses their lips together; he can practically feel Phil’s smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The moment is finally here! 10 chapters is a big enough build up right? I wanted to make it magical (well, sort of) so the thing with the leaves popped into my mind. It's almost weird to write them together after having such a build up, but also adorable (is there a crab load of fluff in upcoming chapters? I think so!) but enjoy it while you can, after all, what's life without a little angst? (Don't say I didn't warn you.)  
> Hope you enjoyed C:


	12. Lingering Stares and Not-So-Subtle Daydreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely comments last chapter. Seriously, you guys are awesome, and I am so glad you are liking it :3 Especially those who have been kind enough to comment every chapter. Hearts to you all around <3 
> 
> On a side note, due to me being ridiculously slammed with uni work and also being annoyingly ill, there is a chance that I may miss a Wednesday update over the next few weeks. I've got exams and major assignments all due over the next three weeks. Once upon a time in a far away place, I was actually ahead in my chapters. Now, not so much (I haven't completely finished next weeks chapter yet, whoops). But hey, then I'm on my summer holiday break and will have a lot more time to write. Anyway, next weeks update should be usual, and I'll try smash one out every week if possible. 
> 
> But yes, as always, hope you enjoy C:

For the whole evening and even the next morning, Dan has a smile that practically radiates. He is so happy and content that he could burst. His mind keeps wandering back to the previous day, and how it felt to finally have Phil’s lips upon his own, and be able to run his fingers though Phils soft locks and _god he wants to do it all again._

He can practically feel Phil’s hands lingering on his skin, soft and firm at the same time; rubbing in soothing circles and making their moment even more perfect. It almost seems surreal, too perfect to actually be a tangible moment.

A sigh escapes from Dan’s lips as his phone goes off, and his grin instantly gets a little bit wider as he realises it’s from Phil.

_Good morning! Walk with me to school? Xx_

The fact that Phil placed kisses at the end of the message almost makes Dan’s heart skip a beat. He taps out a reply quickly, shoving his feet into his school shoes rather ungracefully as he does so.

_Of course, I’ll wait by the door. X_

Dan bounds down the steps, practically taking two at a time as he does so. Usually he would take the bus to school in the morning. But walking with Phil sort of sounds like the best option ever, and the fact that now they are, well, maybe not a couple, but at least _something_ , just makes it mean that much more.

A nervous excitement fills Dan as he waits by the door. It’s a bit could out, but then again, it sort of always is this early in the morning. He waits a moment, before a flash of black hair fills his vision and Phil walks into his line of sight. Phil gives a small wave and Dan all but runs over, any nervousness leaving his body as soon as he is able to spot the other male in the flesh.

“Hey,” Phil greets, grinning at Dan and reaching out his hand before slipping it into Dan’s own.

“Hi,” Dan echoes, staring at Phil for a moment. He is filled with the same sense of happiness as the days before and if it wasn’t for the fact that he was standing still, he’s pretty sure that he would have melted into the ground.

Phil’s eyes flicker to his lips and back to Dan’s eyes. It’s all the encouragement Dan needs, as he leans forward slightly, closing the gap between them and pressing their lips together for the first time since yesterday. Phil responds, moving them momentarily against Dan’s own before pulling back. He can feel his abilities swirling at the surface, prickling slightly against his skin; less prominent then the other day, but still leaving a tingling sensation.

Dan stands still for a moment, a dazed sense washing over him, before letting out a breath he wasn’t fully aware he was holding. “Hi.”

Phil’s laugh fills the air and he gives Dan’s hand a squeeze, stepping back and tugging Dan alongside him as he does so.  “I believe we’ve already covered that.”

A small blush fills Dan’s cheeks as he mumbles. “Right yeah, I know...I was just, yeah.”

The blush intensifies in colour as Phil leans over and gives him another small kiss, his body shaking slightly from laugher as he does so. Dan shakes his head slightly as Phil pulls away, embarrassment still flooding though his veins, but a grin now plastered onto his face. Phil gives his hand a reassuring squeeze as they continue down the walk way.

Dan is pretty sure that kissing Phil was quickly become his favourite past time, no matter what the circumstance.

-

“Any news worth sharing?” Chris comments as before Dan is even close to sitting in his usual seat. Chris has a grin that is almost wider than his face, and Dan almost wants to groan as he glimpses at it.

“I dunno, Chris. Is there?”

Chris twiddles his pen, practically grinning from ear to ear and Dan decides the only way he is going to get through this class is by accepting whatever torture his best friend is about to give him.  There isn’t much point denying anything, not that he really wants to. If anything, Dan is through the roof about the other day’s previous events. In fact, despite Chris’ antics, Dan is pretty sure that everyone around him can tell about how fucking ridiculously _happy_ he is right now.

“Someone told me that you and Phil finally grew balls and latched onto each other.”

Dan blinks, attempting to process his friend’s poor excuse of English language. “Latched onto? Are you kidding?”

Chris just grins back in response, nodding his head.  “About time if you ask me. You’ve both had the hots for each other for way too long.”

It’s pretty accurate, not that Dan is going to admit it. He isn’t exactly sure when he started liking Phil, but he really, really does. He likes practically everything about the older male and knowing that Phil feels the same way is enough for Dan to practically melt away.

“Wait,” Dan says after a moment, his eyebrows frowning as a sudden realisation hits him. “How long have you known that I liked Phil. Actually no, how long have you known that _Phil liked me?_ ”

Chris chuckles slightly, and its then that Dan understands. It’s probably got nothing to do with Chris, but everything to do with PJ.

“Are you telling me PJ _knew_ _Phil had a thing for me and said nothing the whole time?”_

He practically whispers it, his mouth dropping slightly in realisation. Of course if PJ could sense what he was feeling then he probably could  have been able to tell with Phil as well.  Dan almost groans at himself. This realisation should have occurred a lot sooner than it did.  Chris loses it, letting out a howl of laughter at the sight of his friend beside him.

The heads of the classroom turn to look at them both, and Chris bites down on his lips hard enough to almost draw blood. Dan strongly fights the urge to face plant straight onto his desk. His cheeks turn pink for the second time that day, and ironically enough it still has everything to do with Phil, just in a slightly different circumstance. 

It takes a good give minutes before Chris is finally calm enough to answer Dan’s questions, his body still shaking in short bursts in an attempt to control his laughter, that did not manage to go unthreatened by their teacher. Dan is torn between either hitting him or ignoring him, wanting nothing more than to pretend this never happened. In fact, erasing this whole situation from his mind would be absolutely fantastic. He doubt Chris will ever let him live it down, though.

“Yeah, I mean, Peej knew for a while actually. Hell _I knew_. You were so obvious with your lingering stares and not so subtle day dreaming. It’s probably what clued Phil in, too.”

“What would you know about being subtle,” Dan mumbles, as though some kind of retaliation will make this circumstance less embarrassing.

Chris chooses to ignore him, carrying on with his sentence. “PJ could tell with Phil though, not straight away but after a while, yeah he knew. I mean it takes a while for him to figure emotions out sometimes but attraction can be fairly obvious.”

Dan averts his eyes from the books in front of him, turning to look at the brunette next to him instead. “And you didn’t think to tell me this why, exactly?”

“PJ didn’t want to get involved. At least outwardly. He’s way more subtle than me; believes in letting shit run its course.  Plus it was kind of funny to watch you be all embarrassed and denying your feelings.” Chris shrugs, “Besides, wasn’t I the one who told you to go for it? I made it pretty obvious.”

That is probably as close to an ‘I told you so’ as Dan is probably going to get in the matter. And Chris is sort of true. Not that he is going to admit that. Ever.  

“Yeah but you were being a jerk and teasing me about it. So it doesn’t exactly count.”

For some unknown factor, Dan finds himself smiling as Chris pulls a pout in him. He shakes his head, averting his eyes back to the front of the desk where the teacher is writing questions onto the board.

“Please, I bet that without it, you wouldn’t have even got to know what Phil’s tongue even _felt like._ ” The teasing tone is back and evident in Chris’ voice, a smug look falling across his face as he snickers in Dan’s direction.

Dan almost snaps his pencil in half.

“How do you even _know that?_ ”

Chris gives off another signature grin, before looking down at the blank page of his exercise book in front of him. “I didn’t. But you just confirmed it.”

Dan resists the urge to push all his books off the desk.

-

Lunch time arrives rather slowly, and to say that Dan is looking forward to spending more time with Phil is an understatement. He doesn’t share a class with Phil until after lunch and it seems as if the previous hours have continuously dragged on. He hurriedly takes his lunch out of his bag, stuffing everything else back into his locker as quickly as possible and slamming the door closed with a slightly unnecessary amount of force. 

Dan steps back, turning around slightly before coming face to face with a surprisingly solid object. He jerks back, stuttering an apology. A familiar sound fills his ears in response, moderately quiet and slightly northern, but instantly recognisable.

“Phil,” Dan breaths, his eyes widen slightly as he takes in the boy shaking beside him with laugher. He is the most relieved he has ever been. Instantly thinking he’d managed to run into one of his classmates, or someone else, in such an awkward manner.

“Sorry,” Phil laughs, black hair bouncing slightly and his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he does so. “I thought we could walk together. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

 Dan shakes his head, laughing slightly at himself in the process. His shoulder bumping slightly into Phil’s jokingly.

“It’s fine, just, slightly surprising.” He says. In actual fact, it’s a lot more than fine. He gets to spend five more minutes with Phil then he thought he would have, even if he did manage to scare him half to death in the process. His heart is pounding slightly as he takes in Phil’s smile and gorgeous sapphire eyes, and for a moment, Dan wonders if it actually has nothing to do with him being startled and everything to do with just being around Phil.

He wonders momentarily when exactly he started looking forward to every minute he got to spend with Phil. And now that he thinks about it, apart from the very beginning, he can’t exactly recall. It’s always been there, lurking at the back of his mind as much as he tried to deny it earlier. Dan grins despite himself. Currently, there isn’t anything he’d rather be doing than just spend time with the male beside him, and he doesn’t think that is going to change any time soon. 

Phil nudges him back, running the inside of him palm against the back of Dan’s hand momentarily. Sapphire eyes lock with cinnamon and Dan wonders if Phil is actually going to kiss him again.  “Come on, I think PJ and Chris are probably wondering where we are by now.”

The heat of Phil’s palm sends a small cool tingle though his body, and as Phil moves his hand away it takes all of Dan not to shiver.

-

Chris, of course, is the first one to comment when they both arrive.

“Make outs are not permitted within the public domain.”

Dan rolls his eyes, his friend’s sense of humour not nearly as funny as he ever intends it to be. Phil does the same, seemingly becoming quickly accustomed to the brunette’s twisted sense of humour. However, there is a small smile on Phil faces as he does it, and he is sure Chris is just going to take that as a form of encouragement. Anything will do.

“We’re not going to,” Dan says, crouching down and lowering himself onto the grass.

“Just getting in early. There is certain shit I don’t need to witness.” Chris comments, sniggering to himself.

“Maybe we should test that theory, Dan?” Phil murmurs, loud enough for the others to hear it. Dan’s eyes go slightly wide, at both Phil’s suggestion and the attempt to beat Chris at his own game. A small blush rises on his cheeks, which seems to be quickly becoming a frequent occurrence.  

Chris lets out a splutter, before regaining his composure slightly and spitting out something Dan never believed he would hear in a thousand years. “Right sure, you can make out with Dan on one side of the couch, and then Peej and I take the other side. That wouldn’t freak anyone out. In fact it sounds like fun. Right PJ?”

Dan physically shudders, the image of that flashing into his mind before he can even stop it. Phil looks to be in a similar state of repulsion, equally disgusted by the idea of it being some sort of weird joint competition.

“I think we’ll pass,” Phil admits, shuffling slightly closer to Dan as he does so. Dan responds, leaning closer so he so their arms are pressed together.

“Guess it will just be me and PJ making you feel uncomfortable, then.” Chris retorts.  “Peej?”

Dan glances over, suddenly aware of his friend’s silence. It doesn’t look like anything out of the ordinary; however, it’s hard to miss the small frown on PJ’s face, as he looks blankly at the right of where Dan and Phil are currently sitting.

Chris raises an eyebrow, nudging his boyfriend slightly as he speaks. “Peej, if you don’t start responding I’m going to go into vivid details of our sex life.”

The small elbow to PJ side seems to draw him in, snapping him out of his former daze. He blinks a few times, glancing around in the process.

“Everything okay, Peej?” Dan asks. It’s not exactly common for PJ so space out. Sometimes he can get a little distracted by his empathy, if someone is feeling something strongly. However, it is rather uncommon for it to go this far. Usually around people, PJ can be so focused. Sometimes if he zones out, it’s because he’d focused just that little bit too much.

PJ shakes his head, like he is finally able to focus again and lets out a small breath. “No, it’s fine, sorry. Just got distracted.”

“Welcome back,” Phil says, grinning at PJ as he looked over. “Chris as be threatening to spill sex details that we’d rather be spared of.”

PJ continues to look slightly dazed. However, the frown on his face lifts as he glances over at Chris, shaking his head and whacking him on the arm.

“He wouldn’t dare,” PJ threatens and Chris lets off a sly smirk.

The rest of lunch goes rather smoothly. But something tugs at the back of Dan’s mind, PJ zoning out refusing to be forgotten. And for some reason, it’s a little worrying.

 


	13. Flutter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just a heads up from last weeks chapter. There will be no update next week, as I just don't have the time. Whoever decided that it would be fun for all my major essays and exams to happen within the span of two weeks is so not okay.  
> Enjoy, and I do apologise for leaving things on such an angsty note (but not really) ;)

Dan almost groans as he hears the familiar tone of his phone. He rolls over, tumbling around for the device that suddenly pulled him out of his sleep. He blinks as he tries to concentrate on the screen, before promptly clicking the answer button.

“Hey,” his voice is groggy, and he can hear a light chuckle from the other side of the line.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Phil asks, a teasing tone lacing his voice.

“Mmm-hmm.” Dan exhales, pulling himself into a sitting position, and leaning back into his pillows and head board in an attempt to become slightly more alert; perking up a little at hearing Phil’s voice.  A lazy smile fills his face, the thought of waking up to Phil talking to him is sort of perfect. “What time is it?”

“Almost 11am.”

Dan sits up a little straighter, pulling the phone away from his ear and looking down at the screen. He blinks at the scene slightly, contemplating how it even became so late without him waking up. “Oh.”

“Stay up late playing Guild Wars again?” Phil asks, and Dan smiles somewhat guiltily even though he is aware that isn’t the reason _this_ time.

Dan gives a fake scoff directly into the phone. “No, actually, pretty sure this had something to do with texting a particular someone at 2am.”

Phil laughs and Dan can picture his grin clearly. “Oh, yeah, could have had something to do with that.”

“I believe the real question here is, how are you awake _before_ 11am? Weekends are prime sleeping time. You’re missing out. ”

“They are also prime cinema time,” Phil says, and Dan’s heart skips a beat.

“Yeah?”

Phil’s voice is a little softer as he mumbles, “I mean, yeah. I was thinking, if you wanted to like, go and see a movie together. Or something. We could?” Dan bites the corner of his lip, smiling shyly as Phil continues. “No pressure or anything, but I mean, we could do something different, and I can buy the tickets. If you’d like, that is.”

Dan can practically picture the small blush on Phil cheeks as he says it. There sort of isn’t anything he likes more than spending time with Phil. They haven’t exactly labelled themselves since this week’s previous events, but everything just happened so easily that Dan hadn’t really seen the point.

“Like an official date?” Dan asks, and he feels a little nervous as he does so. Even though it sounds like that’s what Phil is offering, it might not actually be the same thing.

“Well, I figured going to each other’s houses all the time doesn’t completely count. So, yeah, exactly like a date.”

Dan’s grin is so wide, and he is pretty sure that Phil could feel it radiate though the phone. “Are you telling me that making out on the couch and playing video games qualify count as an official date? Because I for one would really like that to count.”

“Oh, yeah, it definitely does. Trust me, next time you come over, you can count on it.”

Dan sniggers though the phone, rolling onto his side and curling up onto the side of his pillow. “Okay, then. Let’s go.”

“Yeah? Yeah.” Phil says, almost as if he is reassuring himself. His voice perks up, becoming overly enthusiastic and Dan can’t help but grin and shake his head. “How about I come round at 1? And then we’ll go from there?”

Nodding, Dan agrees, “Sure, I’ll see you soon.”

“See you later.”

The line goes dead and Dan lays there for a moment, staring somewhat goofily at the roof and wondering when exactly everything managed to change.

-

Phil arrives perfectly on time, which isn’t that surprising. As Dan opens the door his jaw almost drops. It’s not as though he doesn’t think Phil usually looks attractive, but it’s obvious that he has put a bit more effort into his appearance than usual. His hair is shinny and recently washed, straightened and falling perfectly into place at its side.  Phil is wearing his usual bottom up plaid shirt, but one in a red and black combo Dan hasn’t seen before.  More prominently, Phil’s back jeans seem to fit him even more perfectly than usual. And the sight almost makes Dan’s head spin.

“Hey,” Phil greets, and yeah, maybe it’s just Dan, but he could swear that there is a spark in Phil’s eyes, like he knows exactly what Dan is thinking.

Dan steps out, closing the door behind him and telling himself not to blush. “Hey.”

“Ready to go?” Phil asks, and Dan nods his head, stepping forward and for once, taking the incentive and entwining his fingers with Phil’s own. Phil’s eyes light up at the contact, before he swiftly reaches across and places a quick kiss on Dan’s cheek.

They walk in sync, as usual, along familiar streets and towards the local strip of shops. Phil frowns a bit as Dan tries to lead them into a right hand turn and along a different path, thoroughly convinced that they should be heading straight. Dan laughs, teasingly, and pulls them into the right direction, proclaiming that Phil should know his way around better by now.

“This is still new to me!” Phil announces, glancing towards Dan.

Dan chuckles, taking step back and pointing down the former street. Sometimes, Dan forgets that he hasn’t actually known Phil for that long. No more than three months. It’s sort of a strange concept, because it always feels as if he has known the other male forever. “If you follow that path for a while and take a left, you end up at Chris’ and if you keep walking, eventually you’ll stumble upon a great Chinese place. However, that isn’t exactly where we were planning on going. Unless you feel a sudden need for dumplings and honey chicken.”

Phil doesn’t reply, and Dan takes it as means to continue. “This way, however, gets us to the local main strips of shops **-** ”

Dan stops talking, suddenly caught up in looking at Phil. And maybe he isn’t right, but it seriously just looked like Phil was checking him out. Phil is almost blatantly staring right at Dan, with a soft sort of smile on his lips that sends tingles up Dan’s spine in the best possible way.

“Maybe we can go there after?” Phil suggests, and Dan’s voice is literally caught in his throat, because Phil’s eyes fall on his lips for a moment, and it takes a lot of Dan to resist leaning forward and kissing him until they both gasp for air.

He manages to restrain himself, somehow. The somehow is a big statement, because Phil really looks attractive, and even though they have been together for less than a week, he’s had feelings for so much longer. When they are together, it just seems easy and natural. Maybe it goes with the weird feeling of having known Phil for longer than he actually has.

“Yeah, sure. As long as I get to order,” Dan teases, attempting to snap himself out of whatever daze staring at Phil had developed.  Which is actually a bit harder than it sounds, especially when Phil continues to glance over at him as they walk.

Phil raises an eyebrow, “don’t trust my judgement?”

“More like, there are dishes I love, and really want to eat, and I’m pretty sure you’ll love them too.”

A smirk falls onto Phil’s lips. “And by that you mean, ‘I can’t decide which one I want so I’ll order them both and hope Phil thinks it’s romantic.’”

Dan nudges Phil’s side playfully, pushing hard enough that he almost steps off the path way. “Please, a movie and someone forcing you to eat salt and pepper spare ribs, what _isn’t_ romantic about that?”

Phil laughs, falling back into line and failing to hide his smile as he finally settles down.

“Your hopeless, and I sort of like it.”

A goofy sort of smile settles onto Dans lips. “Yeah, well, I sort of like you too.”

-

The movie goes along way better than Dan would have expected. Not that he doesn’t trust Phil’s choice in movies, he was always sure that the other male would pick something they would both enjoy. After all, their DVD collection is practically a double copy of the others. For some reason however, this movie session is just that much _better_. Dan is pretty sure that sitting in a cinema with Phil’s arm draped over his side and a whole lot of buttery popcorn tasting kisses manages to beat every other cinema experience he has ever had.

At points, he may have spent more time focusing on Phil when actually watching the movie, but he’s pretty sure that the feeling was more than mutual. He may have caught Phil looking at him more than just a few times and that may have encouraged a lot more kissing than usual. Not that Dan’s complaining.

He feels as content as they walk the streets after, hand in hand.  Just being around Phil is strangely uplifting, and as cliché as it sounds, he honestly believes he walking on cloud fucking nine sometimes. The thought almost causes Dan to chuckle, because never did he believe that would be something he’d think, let alone _feel._

“So I’m thinking, maybe before we head out we can grab a shake away?” Phil suggests as they walk down the shopping strips. “They are sort of amazing, and we’ve got a bit of time to kill before dinner.”

“Favourite flavour?” Dan asks, because shake away literally make his favourite milk shakes and he is honestly so keen that Phil seems to think so too.

“Oreo and dime or cookies and cream.”

“Never tried it, but cookies and cream sounds like all my five year old hopes and dreams in a cup. I usually get-”

Dan stops mid-sentence, pausing as he notices something momentarily. He sees something out of the corner of his eyes, vague and familiar all at once. The figure disappears behind the corner, out of sight as quickly as it had previously been seen. Dan frowns, halting his steps and causing Phil to do the same.

“Are you okay?” Phil questions, slight concern resting on his features.

“Um, it’s just-” Dan mumbles, trying to contemplate his previous thought. He feels weird, like something isn’t right. It feels as though he has forgotten something important, and it lurks at the back of his mind.

It flashes before his eyes, suddenly instantly recognisable and forgotten all at once. But Dan is sure, so sure that it’s the same person as before.

He takes a step back, breath catching in his throat. He drops Phil’s hand, reflexively pulling them by his side.  His breathing changes, becoming quick and panicked as a sense of dread fills him. Anxiety is rising to the surface, and his abilities are reacting instinctively; the same feeling washing over him as it had all those nights ago.

“Dan? Hey, what’s going on-”

Phil’s sentence is cut off by Dan’s own anxious one, “we need to leave. Right now, Phil. Let’s go.”

Dan turns around, taking Phils wrist and wrapping his own hand around it.

A millions thoughts race around Dan’s head, but one is crystal clear; that they both need to get away right _now._

“Dan?” Phil says again, worry lacing his voice. He doesn’t resist as Dan pulls them away quickly, matching the pace that has almost become a jog. Dan doesn’t reply, rushing past the shopping strip and entering a housing sector that Phil is unfamiliar with.

“We need to get home.” Dan says, almost like he is out of breath.

“How come? What happened, Dan?” Phil questions again. He watches as Dan’s eyes flicker towards him momentarily, before averting his gaze back to the surrounding landscape. The brunette looks around frantically, focusing between everything all at once.

Dan shakes his head, his voice higher pitched then before, like he is one step away from becoming partly hysterical. “We just _need to leave.”_

Phil doesn’t say another word, time going antagonising slowly as a sense of dread fills him. He can see the panic clearly plastered across Dan’s face, and Dan picks up the pace once again, legs pushing fast against the concreted side. They have finally entered familiar streets, closer to Phil’s house than Dan’s own. Phil can’t draw his eyes away from the worried expression on Dan’s face.  Alarm is evident in practically every way, Dan is tense and on edge, almost completely panicked. The only time he has ever seen Dan look like that was that time in the alleyway. Suddenly, something clicks; like a flash of lightning in his mind and Phil lets out a small sort of squeak.

The sound makes Dan look at him, checking to make sure he is okay before glancing behind them in every possible direction. The words bubble in Phil’s throat, but before he has time to say them they’re walking up the drive way and are at his own door. They have made it back in some sort of record time, almost impossibly fast. He fumbles with the keys slightly, before he finally manages to open the lock.

He steps inside, Dan following close behind and all but slamming the door behind him. He slinks against it, using as some sort of stability as his hands shake slightly by his side.

“You saw something? Right? One of them? The person that tried to attack you in the allyway?” Phil says, clearer then he would have thought possible at this current moment. His voice almost cracks as he says it out loud.

Dan glances up, eyes locking with Phil and nods. His body trembles, and he presses off against the wall, taking two small steps forward and being engulfed by Phil’s arms.   


	14. Of Deep Breaths and Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have all the fluff to make up for my absence last week ;) Posting should resume as usual now. As next weeks chapter has already been written and after Tuesday, Dobby is a free elf! So I will have way to much time on my hands and probably end up ahead in my chapters again. Who knows, I might add chapters over the weekend too (not a complete promise, but it's a thought!)

Dan is still trembling, wrapped up in Phil’s arms. His breathing is heavy, almost like there is not enough air in his lungs. Phil pulls him in, hands running over his back in a soothing manor.

They don’t say anything, Dan’s breath is gradually becoming less short and he practically melts into Phils’ arms; lapping up all the comfort and reassurance that he is offering. His hands make fists into Phil’s top, clenching tightly as he attempts to calm down and control himself.

He doesn’t want to cause a scene at Phil house, but his abilities are swirling, fighting to be let loose in some sort of defence. Dan tries to follow Phil’s breathing, allowing himself to think of nothing but the air flowing in and out of the other male’s lungs.

“It’s okay, Dan. You’re safe,” Phil says after a while, soft and reassuring. Dan tries to convince himself that everything is alright, allowing himself to get lost in the words that Phil is speaking.

He doesn’t know how long they stand there, five minutes, maybe half an hour or possibly more. Dan finally lifts his head up, and it feels like a ginormous task. There is still a high level of anxiety sitting in his stomach, churning away at a lesser pace than it had previously.  He feels less nauseous then before, as though he is finally starting to become slightly less panicked.

Phil looks down at him, giving him a small smile and pressing a quick kiss on his lips. Phil’s hands leave Dan’s side, one reaching up to pull his fringe out of his eyes, the other resting against the curve of his back and pressing in just hard enough so Dan feels grounded.

“Are you alright?” Phil asks, and they both know that neither of them are okay at the moment. Phil’s heart is pumping at a million miles an hour with worry for Dan, and Dan is more than aware that he just scared the living day lights out of both of them. But then again, _someone_ caused that. The thought alone is enough to send shivers up both of their spines.

All Phil can focus on is trying to calm Dan down. The worry on the boy’s face is so evident, and all he wants to do is to push those worries away. Replay the last hour and stop the day’s previous events from happening. There is a nagging thought in the back of Phils mind, that maybe this wasn’t exactly a coincidence. The worst part is that he knows this is exactly what Dan is thinking too.

“Yes,” Dan agrees, and maybe it is a bit of a lie. He still feels anxious, thoughts spinning at a million miles an hour inside his head about _what the fuck is going to happen_ , because that guy just randomly showed up out of the middle of nowhere. It sends chills down Dan’s spine, and he tries to focus all his attention on Phil, attempting to rid himself of his previous thoughts.

He takes a few more deep breaths, and it manages to calm him down a bit more. Phil’s here with him, holding him close. They’re both here, alive and somewhere that everyone else can’t get to. “Yes, yeah. I’m okay. We’re okay. Both of us.”

This time, there is much more truth to the words.

Phil relaxes a little, silence filling the air once again, both taking comfort in each other’s presence.

“Stay here the night,” Phil suggests after a moment, hands instinctively brushing though Dan’s hair. It’s soothing, and Dan can feel himself finally calming down. “There is no way I’m letting you go back out there alone tonight.”

Dan lets out a sigh, absentmindedly leaning into Phil’s hand. “Are you sure? I don’t want to cause any more trouble.”

Phil’s voice is soft yet stern at once, not allowing for any sort of misinterpretation of his words. “You are _not_ trouble. Jesus Dan, don’t even think that. I’d always want you to stay, regardless of tonight’s events.”

As soon as the words leave Phil’s mouth, Dan feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He wraps his arms around Phil’s waist, pulling the boy in that much closer, needing the warmth and security that the other male is providing. Phil’s eyes are still staring down at him, and Dan almost wants to cry in some kind of relief.

“How about we put a movie on or something? My parents are going to a friend’s house for tea, so we can have some left over pasta if you’d like.”

Dan nods, wanting nothing more than to stay close by Phil’s side. A movie sounds good, something a bit distracting and reassuring is definitely what he needs right now.

Phil steps away slightly, making sure they are still standing closely together and grabs Dan’s hand, taking a small step forward and leading him into the lounge room.

“I’ve still got Zombieland in the player; I was going to watch it the other night but got distracted. Does that sound alright?”

“Yeah,” Dan speaks, and Phil gives him a small smile, both of them walking towards the remote, as Phil picks it up and switches the TV on. Dan clings by his side, almost subconsciously. By the time they’ve reached the couch Phil lets go of Dan’s hand, sitting down and scooting against an arm rest. His legs are open and he smiles at Dan as he pats the spare space between his legs.

Dan obliges, quickly sitting down and settling his back against the other male’s chest. A content sigh passes his lips as Phil wraps his hands around Dan’s hips, clasping his hands and almost wrapping them both up in a backwards hug. Dan’s head lolls back, resting between the junction of Phil’s shoulder and neck, and everything feels that little bit better.

It’s not until hours later, when Dan is curled up against Phil in an array of pillows, and warmth that he realises, even though the day’s earlier eventsare still shoved somewhere in the back on his mind, Phil is able to put him at ease. He feels safe and content in Phil’s arms, filled with the scent of everything that is Phil Lester. He feels Phil’s lips press against his forehead, hands rubbing small comforting circles against the flesh under his T-shirt and it doesn’t take him long until he is finally able to drift asleep.

-

The feeling of warmth and cosiness is the first thing Dan wakes up too. He blinks slowly, his eyes failing to adjust at the mild brightness around him before he gives in and closes them again. He shifts a little, stretching his legs down slightly. There is a slight weight around his middle, close towards his hip and more across his legs. He snuggles in, the cocoon of warmth almost impossible to resist.

Suddenly, the weight on his hip clenches a bit, tightening slightly before relaxing into its previous hold and Dan’s eyes snap open in response. His groggy sense of sleep steadily erasing from his mind as he takes in his surroundings. 

“Oh,” Dan mumbles, almost like a gasp of air and a whisper all at once. His eyes adjust, and he realises that the sense of warmth and comfort is another person; Phil. Dan pulls his head back slightly, taking in the image in front of him, a small blush rising onto his cheeks at the realisation of just how close they are. His head rests on the pillow beside Phil, giving him a perfect view of the older male in front of him. His eyes are closed, resting peacefully. One arm is lying across Dan’s hip, and their legs are tangled under the covers.

Dan can’t help but stare, drinking in the form of the beautiful boy in front of him. He is half torn between leaning in and kissing him or snuggling back up. His eyes trace Phil’s face, and he has to resist running a hand across his cheek and moving the soft locks of hair that face fallen across his forehead.

He smiles to himself, amazed at how some this unreal actually managed to become his reality. Memories flash back to their first meeting, and the anguish he’d felt. If Dan had known that he would have ended up cuddled in bed, with someone who would cause him to feel so safe and loved then he would have dove straight in sooner.  The words echo in his head. Phil makes him feel things that he’d never thought he would feel.

He closes his eyes, relishing in his thoughts, and everything that is Phil.

When he opens his eyes a moment later, slightly surprised that he comes face to face with bright sapphire and a soft smile.

“Morning,” Phil says, quietly as though he doesn’t want to disturb their current situation, as though it is something precious.

“Hi,” Dan says voice just as quiet. He smiles, reflecting Phils own. His heart flutters in is chest as he watches Phil’s eyes trace his own face, lingering slightly at his lips. It only takes a few moments before Phil closes the small gap between their faces, lips moulding together perfectly.

Dan sighs into it, the hand on his hip pulling him slightly closer until their chests are both touching.

Moments later Phil pulls back; his head still resting relatively close. The distance between their lips only a hairs breath away.

“Sleep well?” Phil asks, eyes soft and lingering.

Nodding, Dan mumbles rather contently, “mmm-hmm.”

Being able to sleep with Phil has honestly been the best experience Dan’s ever had, and now that he’s been able towake up wrapped in Phil’s arms, he doubts going back to his own bed will even be a fair comparison. Just the thought of that makes him want to press that little bit closer, shoving his face against Phil’s chest and feeling his tight embrace lure him to sleep like it did last night.

There is a slight pause, and Phil looks like he wants to say something; eyes tracing over Dan again for an infinite amount of times this morning.

“And you’re okay, yeah?” Phil questions, more hesitantly then before.

Dan’s shoulders slump slightly at Phil’s attempt to dance around the topic. To be honest, the last thing he wants to think about right now is last night’s events. He knows that they probably should talk about it. How Dan flipped out so massively over something he had only seen for a split second.

A small voice in his brain tells him that maybe he was just over reacting, that it was nothing but a figment of his imagination. A larger part however, strongly tells him otherwise.

The anxiety that had rested in his chest had managed to disappear, his only thoughts being filled with Phil. However, he can feel it slowly ebbing its way back up; churning unwantedly in the pit of his stomach.

Phil can sense it, rubbing his back slightly in response.

“Sorry, I just-” Phil says, bitting his lip slightly. “I wanted to make you’re okay. Last night, jeeze Dan, you scared me. Everything happened so suddenly, and I just- I was worried. I am worried. I want you to be safe.”

Dan’s heart melts, the fear vanishing as quickly as it had risen.  He never really thought about it from Phil’s perspective. There was a huge chance that Phil had been just as scared as him. Unsure of what was truly happening. The fact that he cares for Dan so much is almost unbelievable. It’s hard to imagine someone is as compassionate and kind as the male currently embracing him.

Even though Phil could have been in as much danger as Dan was in, he doesn’t care for his own safety, but for Dan’s own wellbeing.

The distance between their lips is closed off; Dan moving forward and removing the gap. Be pushes against Phil, pressing against him as much as possible. Lips moving together hastily and slowly all at once, tongues swirling and moulding together in a way that Dan hasn’t fully felt before. Dan moves his hands up from Phil’s chest, wrapping around his neck and pushing them together so there is no longer any space. 

They pull away, breathing heavily and Dan can’t help but pull Phil back in, before he’s even managed to catch his breath. The feeling of need is almost overwhelming. Dan’s hands roam across his chest, moving across both clothed and bare skin. The fact that Phil is so close and right beside him is all the convincing he needs.

“Thank you,” Dan mumbles against Phil’s lips, completely breathless. “But you don’t need to be. I knocked them out once before, right?”

It’s a failed attempt at humour, and they both know it. Even though it’s a fact, Phil can’t help but feel apprehensive. If it came down to it, there is a possibility that Dan could escape, just like last time. But the fact is, neither of them wants that to happen again. It _shouldn’t_ have had to happen in the first place.

“We’ll discuss this with PJ and Chris later, okay?” Dan promises, before he smiles slightly. Eyes closing momentarily, he lurches forward, into the same position he was situated in this morning.  He feels sleepy again; still slightly exhausted from everything that happened yesterday. The thought of being able to fall back asleep in Phil’s arms consumes him, in fact, Dan is pretty sure that there is nothing he’d rather be doing later than to wake back up next to Phil.

Phil laughs, for the first time in a while and it manages to make Dan’s grin that much wider.

“I guess it can wait till later,” Phil agrees. He moves slightly, adjusting himself so that both of them fit together perfectly. Dan snuggles in, his breath suddenly becoming heavy and it’s not long before he drifts off to sleep again, nothing but the thought of Phil’s arms surrounding him as the work fades back into darkness.


	15. Bittersweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have a crap tonne more fluff as a follow up from last chapter. Now that I'm finally free and have finished off the year, I'm planning on pumping these out. So enjoy!

The afternoon goes slow, filled with lingering glances and comforting touches. There is a small sense of anxiety, the previous day’s events still raw and fresh in both of their minds.  Everything feels a little bit unknown, uncertainty present in everything they do. Despite all of that, Dan feels safe here with Phil. Although he wishes that he could forget every apprehensive moment that happened the day before and just move on, they both know it’s impossible. They can’t just ignore the issue. Even though Dan wasn’t attacked this time, it doesn’t mean that it’s any less call for an alarm.

 

_This time._

 

The words linger in Dans head for a moment longer. If they had stayed, who knows what would have happened. The fact that Phil was there, and could have been hurt is more than troubling. If it came down to it, Dan would defend them both, but it’s something that he would rather avoid in the first place.

  
As much as Dan wants to snuggle back into the comfort of Phil's arms for the remainder of the weekend, he knows that this isn't a problem that they should be keeping to themselves. Phil has been pressing to call PJ all afternoon, and while Dan almost wishes that he could avoid the whole circumstance, it really isn't a choice he is able to make.  
  
The idea of him possibly blowing this whole thing out of proportion continues to float aimlessly around in his head. That maybe it was a trigger, a figment of his imagination; that maybe, if they just ignore the situation, both himself and Phil can live with a level of uncertainty and ignorance. It would be easier that way, to pretend nothing happened, but it’s not possible, not with the chance of Phil being involved in this too. The thought of someone going after Phil because of Dan almost sends a shiver up his spine. This guy, whoever he is, has seen them together, and now there is a chance he might go after Phil. Especially now that they both know this has to be more than just a coincidence. If they actually want something from Dan, Phil would be more than an easy target. In hindsight, Phil is practically defenceless.    
  
"Dan?" Phil questions, his hands playing with Dan's fingers.    
  
Dan’s almost reluctant to answer, because he knows exactly what the other male is going to suggest. “Mmmm?"   
  
"I'm going to give Peej a ring, okay?"  
  
Dan resists sighing. There is a valid reason, after all it’s probably for the best, even though he wants to put this off for as long as possible and try to stay within Phil's embrace. Although he knows that it is for the best, it still fills him with dread.    
  
Maybe it’s the anxiety, or the fact that admitting it to PJ and Chris somehow manages to make it more real. The fact that someone is out there, possibly looking for Dan. Knowing what Dan can do. It scares him, more than he is willing to admit.  
  
The information holds a level of power Dan has always tried to hide. If he tells someone, or if someone else manages to find out, who knows what could happen.   
  
Dan involuntarily shivers, forcing the thoughts away. Phil doesn't fail to notice, however, he doesn't call attention to it, continuing to let Dan rest against his side for a few moments longer. That thought alone is enough to scare him, but the thought of him now possibly dragging Phil down with him, and maybe even PJ and Chris is almost too much to handle. This guy, whoever he is, may know about Dan, but not about everyone else. There is a chance, that if this guy is really serious, he might find out about that others too. Endangering his friends is a whole other level of worry on Dan’s behalf.  
  
"I'll be back in a minute," Phil announces finally, reaching down to place a kiss on Dan's forehead. Dan shuffles to the side, giving Phil enough space to get off the couch. 

Dan sinks into the sofa, pulling himself into a sitting position, lifting his legs up and resting them on the coffee table in front of him. It only takes a few moments before he can hear Phil’s voice murmur in the background. It’s sort of soothing, just to hear him speak.

He almost feels as though he is way too worked up about this situation. But he can’t help it. He might be in danger, but worst of all his friends will be too. If his parents were to find out about this, they really would leave. Maybe with the first appearance, they would have been a bit more understanding. But they care too much for this to become a problem. If they knew, he’d have to leave. And Part of him thinks maybe that isn’t such a bad idea.

A larger part knows he can’t. Not know that he has Chris, PJ and Phil. The thought of having to leave them behind in this mess- or behind at all- is more than alarming. They are practically his whole life, and without them, he wouldn’t have anything.

Pulling himself off the couch, Dan tries not to dwell on the thoughts. He shuffles closer in the direction Phil went into, the slight northern tone becoming louder the closer he gets.  Dan lingers in the doorway, leaning against it slightly.

 “Yeah I know PJ, but it’s just worrying.” Phil murmurs into the phone. Dan can’t see the front of him, only the back of his T-shit. Phil’s back is pressed up the centre aisle, facing the opposite way with the phone pressed against his ear. “I didn’t see him but Dan’s been so freaked out. I’m positive that he’s right. I don’t blame him; I’m mostly scared for him.”

Dan frowns, shoulders slumping. Worrying everyone is the last thing he wants to do, especially causing Phil to be concerned for his own safety.

Phil’s quiet for a short moment, listening before he continues.

“No, I don’t think so. Coming over won’t help anything. I think it’ll stress Dan out more. There isn’t really anything that can be done at the moment anyway.”

Silence follows as PJ replies to Phil. He can see the back of Phil’s head nodding slightly, agreeing to whatever their friend is saying.

“I think he’s more worried about everyone else,” Phil’s voice softens as he says it and Dan can imagine the look his face is pulling. “We’ll all work it out, though. Nothing happened, and we can work on making sure this situation doesn’t occur again.”

That last sentence captures Dan’s particular interest. Escaping that first time had been nothing but pure luck and adrenaline, he isn’t sure how any of them can make sure it doesn’t happen again; unless PJ has somehow managed to drabble into mind control alongside his empathy.

“Okay. I’ll pass it on. Thanks, Peej, tell Chris I said hi. See you.” After a moment Phil pulls the phone away, promptly ending the call.

It occurs to Dan that maybe he should have made his presence known and not inadvertentlylisten to the conversation when Phil is unaware that he was behind him. Phil stands in the same spot for a moment, almost as if he is in some sort of deep thought.

Dan supposes he is just as worried as everyone else. He is sure that PJ and Chris are on a sense of alert now too. But maybe that’s a good thing. If they are all aware of this, the chance of them being caught off guard is much less likely, which has to be some sort of a benefit.

Phil’s being receptive though, everything he said was right. As much as he loves his friends, having them over right now isn’t the best thing. He just wants to be alone with Phil, and play an infinite amount of video games, and forget everything about the other day just for a little while longer.

He bites his lip for a moment, before deciding to break the silence and speaks up. “Phil?”

Phil jumps slightly, turning around with moderately wide eyes. “Dan! I wasn’t aware you were standing there.”

He rubs the back of his neck slightly, a sheepish sort of smile falling to his face. Dan laughs at the sight of him.

“I’ve been for a while, actually. I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

Shaking his head, Phil steps away from the counter. “It’s fine. Everything okay?”

Dan nods his head. Pulling away from the doorway and taking a few steps towards Phil. Phil gives him a small smile and opens his arms expectantly.

“Yeah, fine.” Dan answers, relaxing into Phil’s hold and wrapping his arms around the male’s waist. “I just wanted to say thanks, you know, for being here when I freaked the fuck out and for talking though things with Peej and Chris. Yeah, just thanks.”

Phil pulls him closely for a moment. “Well, I like to think that in reality it’s just me being a good boyfriend. No need to say thanks.”

Dan signs, nuzzling Phil slightly in the process. He is totally aware that Phil just referred to them as being an official couple. Maybe, he should be freaking out on the inside, that the words have finally been spoken. But for the most part, the words roll over him like a wave. Completely comforting and offering a sense of understanding and stability.

“What do you say to us spending the rest of the afternoon with me kicking your ass at sonic?”

Phil pulls back, grin plastered on his face. “I’ve been practicing.”

“I’m still going to win.”

“In your dreams, maybe.”

Dan steps back, determination written on his face. He is going to kick his boyfriend’s ass and then maybe, if Phil’s lucky, also kiss it better.

-

Dan awakes to a weird feeling later that night. He feels the somewhat familiar feeling of panic, fear and anxiety coursing through his veins. His breath is slightly erratic, coming out in short bursts as he clenches at the bed sheets.

It takes him a moment to calm down and come back to reality. His bedside lamp is turned on, casting away the shadows of his bedroom. He’s never been so thankful for light, but the only problem is, he isn’t exactly sure why.

A bad dream had forced him into consciousness, Dan knows that much. However, there is no vivid detail. He remembers shadows and chasing, the feeling of getting trapped.  Almost like it was some sort of reincarnation of the alleyway event.

He shifts down into the blankets, forcing deep even breaths as he reaches for the phone. Wishing nothing more than to be back in Phil’s room and waking up in a similar fashion to how he had before. It’s almost stupid, to get frightened like this. It’s an uphill battle, telling yourself one thing and feeling a complete other.

His breathing starts to become steady, and he tries to ignore the dream, and focus on it all at once. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t exactly remember what exactly happened and it’s almost frustrating. However, the feelings still linger, slowly going away with a sense of valid reasoning. After all, it was only a dream.

‘Only a dream,’ he mumbles to himself. He feels almost like a little kid, telling himself that monsters don’t exist. It’s stupid, really. But it’s comforting.

Slipping back into the sheets, Dan pulls the duvet back up. His hand is hovering over Phils contact information. Debating if calling him would be a valid option. It’s well into 3am, and even though he doubts Phil would be annoyed at Dan for waking him up, he shouldn’t bring such childish issues up.

The thought of him texting Chris crosses his mind, if only to annoy him rather than seek comfort. He is sure that Chris would give him a mixture of annoyance, teasing and reassurance; most likely in that order. Probably with the mix of a few swear words. He shakes his head, smiling to himself. Even though it would be funny and an interesting distraction, Dan likes to think that he isn’t _that_ mean. But then again any sort of distraction would be welcome at this point.

He curls up against the pillow, phone still in hand.  The past day’s events are just getting to him and it’s probably best to ignore it. Turning his lamp off, he takes one last glance around the room before snuggling back down into his abundance of blankets.  

He pushes all thoughts away. Intently focusing on pretending his spare pillow is Phil until he is finally able to fall asleep.

 


	16. Translucent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for missing the update last week. I know I said I was finally free, but then now I'm working three jobs (what a good way to enjoy my holiday, right?) Anyway, this chapter is on the shorter side (sorry again) but next chapter is a big one (plot wise and also sort of length wise) and I'm so excited to post it, I wish I could do it now ^.^  
> Anyway hope you enjoy!

The next morning is bitter cold and Dan laughs as he watches Phil hop from foot to foot in an attempt to keep warm outside the front door. He is relieved to see his boyfriend –the word boyfriend still makes Dan ridiculously giddy inside if he’s honest- wrapping his arms around him as soon as they are out the door.

“I’m thinking we should take the bus this morning,” Phil murmurs, breath forming into fog as words leave his mouth. “I know you’re all keen for your daily dose of exercise but seriously I think we may actually freeze to death.”

Dan nods, agreeing and silently praying that the bus won’t be late, because there is a chance that they may turn into popsicles while they wait in their school uniform. “I thought you liked the cold? Can’t understand why.”

Phil laughs, the warmth of his breath forming a giant cloud in front of them. “I like the rain, not the cold. If rain happened while it was hot that’d be much better for everyone.”

Dan wants to reach out and hold hands but he’s pretty sure there is a high risk of them developing hypothermia. It’s a bit surprising that it isn’t snowing. The wind is just icy, blowing against them and inflecting its freezing touch. On the bright side, Phil’s nose has managed to turn a light shade of red, which is kind of adorable.

“If it were to rain now it’d probably turn to hail,” Dan shivers at the thought, looking towards the sky and noticing the impending black clouds. “Seriously, we’re getting the bus.”

Fortunately once they wait at the stop it only takes about two minutes for the bus to show up. They both bound inside, the heater providing instant relief as they stumble into a joined seat. Without fail, the rain comes only a few minutes later turning quickly into a hail storm. Dan laughs, giving Phil an I-told-you-so look as he pulls his defrosted hands out of his pocket, wrapping them around Phil’s own.

-

Dan reluctantly parts ways with Phil as they head off to their lockers. Sapphire eyes twinkle brightly at him as a kiss is planted on Dan’s cheek before they head off in different directions. Dan smiles to himself, happy that his morning has gone so well, despite the horrible weather and sudden storm. Everything seems a little bit better and brighter when Phil’s around, even having to get up early in the morning at the start of a school week.

He rounds the corner, passing students as he heads to his locker. He notices PJ standing by the locker, waiting as usual when they share their morning class. Now that Phil’s here, he shares a class with at least one of his friends every period.

“Hey Peej,” Dan greets as he reaches his locker, opening it up and putting his bag away.  He pulls out his first two classes worth of books before closing his locker and leaning against the wall.

Glancing over at PJ, he speaks again, not failing to notice his friend’s lack of greeting in return. “Uh, Peej?”

 “Are you alright Dan?” PJ asks, his face is slightly contorted, twisted in a concerned way. It’s a bit abrupt and the question startles Dan slightly. He didn’t exactly expect his friend to have such a suddenly pointed question.

Dan raises an eyes brow, looking slightly confused at the question. “Yes?”

PJ shuffles at his desk, eyes refusing to leave Dan. He looks sightly to the left as his eyes travel around the top of Dan’s body, outlining him as though he is studying something no one else can see.

“Are you sure?”

Nodding his head Dan replies, becoming more confused by the second. It’s almost as though PJ expects him to say otherwise. “Yeah, I’m positive. Why do you ask?”

PJ lets out a deep breath, his eyes flickering between Dan and the unknown thing that Dan is unable to see. Apprehension momentarily fills him as PJ doesn’t reply, just continuing to trace some sort of feature around his body. After a short silence that seems to take forever, PJ finally continues.

“Don’t worry, it’s not helping.”

“Not helping _what?”_

“Your emotions are mixing with it, distorting the aura, and I can’t pin point exactly what it is.”

Dan jerks back, his head almost hitting the locker. He looks down at his hands, tracing his own body as though he might be able to understand what PJ is talking about. He sees nothing, not that he was really expecting to see whatever aura the brunette beside him is apparently so drawn to.

“What aura? What are you talking about?”

PJ shakes his head, unsure. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen it before.”

This time, Dan can’t fight the sense of panic that fills his body. It doesn’t seem possible. It’s not as though he is feeling some sort of strange emotion he has never experienced before. “What do you mean? Never seen it before? How is that possible, Peej-”

“Dan stop,” PJ forces and suddenly Dan can feel the worry drain from his body. A calming sense washes over his body and he knows that it’s all to do with PJ. “I’m not sure. Sorry, but it’s almost like a small black glow surrounding your body; it’s patchy, as though it’s fading or even hiding, maybe mixed in with something else, sort of translucent. I’m not sure what that means. I’ve never seen it on anybody before.”

Dan knows that he should probably feel panicked, but right now he feels nothing but blissfully calm and content. It is as though that information is just a fact about everyday life. He feels like he should be worried about this news, it’s not good. Auras only appear when strong emotions mix, but there hasn’t been anything PJ hasn’t been able to determine since he was about twelve.

“So what now then?”

PJ gives him a look of unknowing. “I don’t know really. I can keep an eye on it, but really I’m not sure. Are you certain you aren’t feeling any different to usual?”

“No, Peej. Literally nothing this morning out of the usual; especially not now anyway.”

The calming effect drops back slightly, but Dan still doesn’t feel the ebb of apprehension like he knows would happen without his friends influence. He chucks PJ a small smile in thanks, grateful that he doesn’t have to worry about anything while the other male is around.

The bell chimes for first period, students around them are starting to leave their lockers and head down the corridor towards class.

PJ gives him reassurance in the form of a small smile, before fallowing in suit and walking towards their shared class. “Seriously Dan, it’s probably nothing anyway. Don’t stress over it. It’s nothing serious, I’m sure.”

Dan almost believes him, until he manages to catch PJ staring at him for just a moment too long during class.

-

As much as Dan tries not to worry, his efforts are in vain. When PJ leaves, he is back to feeling apprehensive and worried about what exactly is going on. The fact that he’s unable to see whatever Peej was talking about makes it just that little bit worse.

He tries to take his mind off it, after all, both Chris and Phil are in his next class and both of them together are always entertaining. It’s a little draining too. The past few days have been anything but easy, and after such a good morning it’s almost as though some sort of karma wants to screw with him.

He signs as he enters class, taking his usual seat next to Chris.

“Hey,” Chris greets, pulling some sort of sly smile that immediately makes Dan weary.

“Hi?” Dan replies, putting his books down in front of him.

“Did you happen to do the homework?” Chris asks; smile wide and in Dan’s personal opinion, deceptive.

“I’m guessing you didn’t.”

Chris laughs, swatting one hand in front of them whilst reaching towards Dans notes. Flipping the page open and pulling out a pen.

“Just want to compare answers,” Chris assures. “And if that involves me changing a few of mine to match yours, you don’t mind right? Ya know, best friend privileges or some shit.”

Phil makes an appearance, sitting beside Dan. “I’m pretty sure Chris gave me that exact line last week.”

“And you’d never know it,” Chris admits. “My acting skills are immaculate.”

Phil gives him a somewhat questioning glace, shaking his head at the newest instalment of Chris’ antics. Dan does the same, a small laugh escaping his lips. He chucks Phil a small smile as he shifts into a comfortable position in the seat next to him, shoulders bumping together in the process.

The period manages to go easily and even though the earlier conversation of PJ is still fresh in Dan’s mind, he decides not to let it bother him. After all, Dan’s had more than enough to worry about these past few days without worrying about some ominous black aura, that could very well mean nothing at all.

“So I’m thinking tonight I might be able to come round for a while after dinner? I promised my mum a family ‘tea and catch up’. Apparently mum misses my company, even though she’s the one that went out this weekend,” Phil says.

Before Dan can answer, Chris butts in, wiggling his eyebrows. “You slept over _and_ had that house to yourself last weekend? Is there something you both want to tell me?”

Dan’s hands twitch slightly. “Even if something did happen, you would be the last person I’d tell, Chris.”

“If it was bad I can give you tips you know, I’ve had plenty of experience.”

Dan forces himself not to groan, and he almost laughs as he notices Phil’s cheeks have gone slightly pink.

“Best friend privileges or some shit, right?”

Phil speaks the exact same sentence Dan’s thinking. “Yeah, I’d rather not.”

Chris looks slightly deflated, but only for a moment before his face turns into a smirk. “Are you sure? Because I have plenty of advice,” his voice drawing out the ‘e’. “I can make PJ give these breathless little-”

“ _Chris,_ ” both Dan and Phil say in unison.

Giving them both a satisfied smile, Chris continues. “Seriously, PJ will deny it, but I give the most amazing-”

“Oh my god,” Dan groans, literally face planting into the desk. Phil’s gone completely quiet, the blush on his cheeks suddenly intensified in colour.

This was apparently the exact reaction Chris was aiming for, his howl of laugher filling the air and causing surrounding classmates to stop their conversation and look towards their direction at the sound. Dan curses the teacher for thinking that now was a good time to leave the classroom for some forgotten supplies. Nothing would be more satisfying than Chris being sent out of the room right at this moment.

“If only I could knock your chair over again,” Dan mutters, glancing at the other brunette.

“What a shame,” Chris retorts, accent heavily laced with sarcasm.

“Are you _sure_ you can’t?” Phil questions and Dan can’t help but let loose a laugh.

“Next time, when he least expects it,” Dan promises. This time it’s Chris that groans.

“Isn’t that cheating?” Chris argues.

Both Phil and Dan refuse to answer, instead just focus their attention on Chris, whose cocky attitude has taken a complete one eighty.

“Fine then, don’t have awesome sex tips. Your loss,” Chris mutters, turning away and looking down at his exercise book.

Dan lets of a satisfactory smile, turning back to Phil. “So what was it about you coming over?”

Phil grins, diving right back into the conversation, remembering to try ad block out the past few sentences Chris’ had almost managed to complete.

It’s not until the end of the class, when they all meet PJ for recess that he remembers what happened earlier. Suddenly, even with the distraction of his friends and the promise Phil coming over, he can’t help but be a little bit worried. Because something just doesn’t feel quite right, and the worst part is, that Dan knows, if anything were to happen. It’d be his fault.


	17. Maelstrom

The frantic thud of the front door echoes throughout the house. Dan freezes, actions paused by the sudden noise. There is a scuffling of footsteps, heavily bounding up stairs more than two at a time. Adrenalin courses though his body as a familiar voice rings down the corridor, more frightened than Dan has ever heard before.

“Dan?!” Phil’s voice is loud and panicked, crackling slightly as it goes almost too high pitched.

Instantly Dan rushes to his feet, opening his door and rushing out into the hall.

He goes to speak, only to let out a small sort of squeak as he takes in the appearance of his boyfriend. Phil’s eyes are wide in shock; his hair is sticking up in a few directions, shirt ripped on the right hand side, almost falling off his frame. He is soaking wet, completely drenched from head to toe.

Phil stands there, frozen at the top of the stairs, breath coming out in heavy gasps.

“Phil? What- I Phil?” Dan splutters, unsure of what to say. They both pause for a moment, surprise and uncertainty evident. Suddenly Phil takes a step forward, his hands shaking by his side, fists tightly clenched. Dan’s heart lurches and he follows, taking a few short steps until he reaches the other male. He goes to speak again, and suddenly Phil collides into him, hands wrapping around his back and pulling them together with such force that they almost lose balance and tumble over.

Dan’s at a loss for words, he can barely force himself to breathe, panic making it difficult. He pulls Phil impossibly close, the need of something solid filling them both. He can feel Phil shaking, wetness soaking into his own clothes as he tightly holds Phil against him.

“Phil, what happened?” Dan’s almost a little breathless as he speaks, unable to comprehend what exactly is happening. His worst nightmare has practically come true. Something has gone wrong and Dan can practically hear his own heart beat thudding in his ears.

Worst case scenarios rush though his mind as Phil shakes his head against Dan’s shoulder. He mumbles finally, distress laced in his words. They come out too fast, a splurge of panicked words filling the silence around them almost impossibly quickly, “I don’t know, he just, he come from nowhere and the water was so strong. It was pouring and I could feel it everywhere. My mind was spinning and I almost couldn’t see. There was a bush and then he just froze. Dan, he _froze._ ”

Phil pulls back as he speaks the final words, hands hanging by his side, looking at Dan with his impossibly wide eyes, panic radiating off every part of his body.  His shaking increases, as though he is reliving some sort of terrible nightmare. Dan’s breath catches as he tries to comprehend everything, questions reeling inside his mind at a million miles an hour. A sense of dread washes over him as he speaks, “what man? What do you mean froze? How can someone freeze?”

Phil’s right hand trembles at his side more violently than before. He breaks eye contact, glancing down and unclenching his hand. “I froze him Dan.”

Dan stills on the spot, the words escaping from his mouth are almost a whisper. “What?”

Phil looks back up, his eyes are slightly watery and he looks like he could cry. “I don’t know how it happened. It all happened so quickly. But I did, I froze him. Someone attacked me and I _froze them with water._ ”

The sentence repeats itself in Dan’s mind. He’s almost unable to comprehend how that is possible. He is completely conflicted; surprise flaring up though his body alongside the alarm and fear. The tear on Phil’s shirt suddenly makes sense in the worst way possible. Someone attacked Phil, physically tried to hurt him. The thought alone is enough to make Dan feel physically ill. He forces himself not to tremble.  Dan can feel his own abilities cramping inside him, a mix of emotions swirling inside him. He doesn’t know where to start. But Phil’s scared and alone and even more confused than Dan. An overwhelming sense of need and protection washes over him. A million questions pop up and fill the silence, neither of them seeming to know what to do or where to begin.

Dan steps forward, acting almost as though he is on instinct, pulling Phil close and closing his arms back around him tightly. Phil practically melts into him, seeking warmth and comfort and anything that the brunette has to offer.

“Okay, yeah. It’s okay. He’s not here,” Dan says, but he’s lying. He tries to sound confident, soothing, but he is far from it. Phil needs to hear the words, just as must as Dan needed to hear them the other day. He steps away after what feels like hours, when Phil’s shakes are noticeable less. He wraps his hand around Phil’s own, pulling the older male towards his bed room and shutting the door behind them both.

He clears a small pile of clothes that were on the end of the bed, shoving them off onto the floor and making Phil sit down. He sits down next to him, close enough that their sides at just touching.

Phil sucks in a deep breath and exhales, fright still evident on his features. “I don’t know how I did it. I was just so scared; I thought he was going to take me…” His voice constricts at the end of the sentence, trailing off completely.

“What happened? What did you do?” Dan’s full attention is towards Phil. He wants to comfort him, but it’s almost impossible at the moment. He can’t help Phil unless he knows what went on. Dan slips a hand onto Phil’s thigh, offering him silent encouragement and security all at once.

Phil looks up, his black hair stuck to his forehead from the moisture, occasionally dripping onto his face. Dan resists the urge to wipe the drops away. There is such conflicting emotion and fear in Phil’s voice as he talks, Dan can’t help but watch as his eyes get a faraway look, as though he is reliving the most terrifying moment he has ever experienced.

He takes a deep breath, words coming out slightly stuttered. “I can’t remember everything, it’s hazy, Dan. I can’t explain it-”

“Phil,” Dan interrupts giving his thigh a small squeeze. “It’s okay.”

The words seem to give Phil slight reassurance, but Dan’s becoming more anxious by the moment. Phil leans a bit closer, looking down at his right hand for the upmost time. “I think he screwed with my mind.”

Dan bites his lip as he asks, “who?”

“The man, he- I mean. I was walking to your house after tea. I noticed a guy as I turned the corner of my street, but didn’t think anything of it. It was raining heavily, so I tried to rush and my umbrella knocked on a low branch of a tree, so I turned around and he was, this guy was fallowing me. ” Phil takes another deep breath, trying to calm himself down and not work himself into some sort of panic attack. “Then everything went kind of foggy, someone grabbed my arm. At least I think they did. I pulled away and my shirt got ripped and then he was just standing over me…there was a bush behind me and I couldn’t- there was nowhere to go.  His eyes were green, things started spinning and I just…I wanted to sleep. It’s like something was messing with my mind.”

Phil pauses, eyebrows frowning. Dan swallows, his mouth feeling too dry. Images forming as the words flow from Phil’s mouth. He can picture it happening; rain bucketing down so much that his vision is distorted, the pavement hard and scraping against his flesh. He can practically feel the fear that Phil must have felt at that exact moment, knowing that there was nothing he could do, and it fills Dan with a wave of immense guilt, fright and horror that he has to physically stop himself from letting loose a violent shiver.

“And then…then I just- I don’t _know_. I held my hands out in front of me, just by some sort and reflex, and then all of a sudden, I felt, well I could _feel something_ , a weird vibe washing over me, like suddenly the rain was a part of me; an extension of my own hands. I can’t explain it, but I suddenly snapped out of it. Almost as though some sort of haze had been lifted and…and when I opened my eyes he was just…frozen. Solid. It was him Dan, just…just covered in ice.”

For a moment, Dan doesn’t know what to think.

“But you’ve never done that before, I don’t understand. Are you…are you like us? Like me and Chris and PJ. Does this - Okay. I just, does this mean you have the ability to freeze water? Or something similar? Is that what…is that what happened?”

Phil lets out a shaky breath as though he is trying to keep his composure. “I don’t…I don’t know.”

“But you could feel it though, like…like a jolt of electricity in your veins. Something surreal and almost uncontrollable. A sort of force that has no other description?”

Phil is silent for a moment, looking down at his hand as though he is trying to remember and match Dan’s description, before giving a nod. “I don’t know how this happens, I’ve never done anything before like this...it just happened. Dan, what if I do it again? What if I lose control and- and I don’t know _how_ I even did it in the first place. I can’t do this. There is no way I can actually do _that._ ”

Dan knows this feeling, better than most. The surreal feeling of unknowing, of fear and a loss of control. This entire conversation is so bizarre, but Dan knows, he _know_ s _exactly how it feels._ The memory of when he was little and the milk floating mid-air is unforgettable. He remembers it levitating so clearly and effortlessly, that it could never have been a dream. But what he recalls more is not the sudden feeling of magic that rushes though his bones, but the panic and worry his parents had felt. He remembers his mother backing away, gasping and unable to comprehend what her little boy had just done. Literally defying the laws of physics. The event was terrifying enough by itself, without the additional panic from his parents. The anxiety and fear from his mum, about what had happened, was more worrying then the occurrence itself. There is no way Dan is going to let Phil go through that too. The terrifying understanding of doing the impossible is scary enough in itself. Phil needs support, not just for the attack, but for understanding the whole bizarre circumstance that came crashing into his life.

“It’s alright Phil,” Dan murmurs, “in case you’ve forgotten, your boyfriend is able to move objects with his mind. And one of your best friends is able to manipulate fire, maybe in a similar way to you. Not to mention PJs ability to control people’s emotions. It’s okay. Terrifying, but okay.”

Phil breathes for a moment, leaning heavily against Dan and resting his head in the crook of the brunette’s neck. “Yeah- Yeah. It’s alright. If or…when, I do it again.” He pauses, as though the concept is a little bit more than impossible, but he sounds slightly less frightened than before. Almost like if he says it enough, he can convince himself. “It’ll be alright. Yeah.”

Dan nods, removing his hand from Phil’s thigh and wrapping it around his hip. Bitting his lip again, he hesitates. This is too much information all at once. He doesn’t want to cause panic- there is more than enough of that happening right now- even though there is literally a shit storm going on inside his mind, and possibly also on the outside. The rain falls down just as heavily as before, pounding against the roof and windows. It should be comforting, but nothing in this situation brings the feeling of safety. But he has to ask, he needs to know. Someone attacked Phil and it can’t just be ignored. There is a high possibility that it was the same guy Dan saw the other night, the ones who attacked him all those nights ago. The thought that he’d put Phil in danger fills him with more guilt than Dan ever thought was possible to feel.

“The guy that attacked you, was it one of the guys from the alleyway?”

Dan can’t breathe as he awaits Phil’s answers. It seems to take him forever, the panic inside Dan reaching an all-time high. He knows exactly what the answer is going to be. “I don’t think so.”

Blinking, Dan frowns. “It wasn’t?”

Phil lifts his head up, shaking it. “No, I’ve never seen him before.”

Shock is the most prominent feeling that runs through Dan’s system. He was so sure, _so, so sure_ that it was going to be one of them, one of the guys coming after Phil in order to get to Dan. He was preparing himself for the worst. To face the fact that he had caused this whole circumstance. It’s almost more surreal than the whole situation.

“Are you sure?” Dan hesitates to ask. A part of him wants Phil to say yes. Just so that he can apologise and blame himself, allow the guilt to really manifest. It would be easier that way. But the fact that it wasn’t one of them, when Dan was so sure it would be, manages to leave more questions than it does answers. If it wasn’t them, then who was it? And why did they go after Phil?

“Yeah, I’m positive,” Phil confirms. “Never seen him before. Everything was a bit…out of focus though. Really hazy, almost like a cloud over my vision. It made it hard to tell, but if it was one of them I’m sure I would have recognised them.”

Something sinks in the pit of Dan’s stomach, as he realises what Phil means. “You mean, like it wasn’t just everything happening too quickly? Something forced you into such a state…he, the random guy, actually did something?”

Phil looks hesitant as he replies. “I’m sure. It’s like I was being forced into a sleep. A fog in my brain,” he pauses for a moment. “Like when you first wake up and you’re still half asleep. Everything is a bit out of focus and blurry.”

“Messed with my mind,” Dan echoes, remembering Phil’s earlier words, almost in disbelief. “Shit, Phil. How can someone do that, it’s like a twisted version of PJ. And it means…”

Dan doesn’t dare finish his sentence, but a shiver rushes down his spin. Phil understands the unspoken words, his train of thought in tune with Dan’s own. Dan lets out a rather harsh swallow. He pulls Phil a little bit closer, the worry that had been churning away in his stomach sent into overdrive.

It means that someone else is out there, with an unknown ability and for some reason, they want something and at the moment, it’s Phil.

“Fuck,” Dan curses. It just comes out, filling the silence. He doesn’t know what to do. This isn’t good. This is _horrible._ Phil knows it too, his figure stiff underneath Dan’s hands. The weight of this situation is all too much. He doesn’t want Phil to be in any kind of danger, and especially not something of this multitude. It’s too foreign and unknown. This person could be anywhere and capable of anything.

Suddenly Dan’s mind snaps, sudden realisation hitting him in the face. “Wait, you said you froze him. Like completely solid?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess- it- the water, like wrapped around him, completely frozen. He couldn’t move.”

Phil’s hands clench the bottom of his shirt anxiously.

“So that means he’d still be there. If he can’t move, he’s going to be at the same spot. I mean, he won’t be melting in this weather. At least not quickly…if he can.”

Phil finishes his sentence, voice almost a whisper. “You mean if he’s still alive.”

Dan’s shoulders sink. It didn’t really cross his mind, but he can see guilt and fear laced in Phil’s eyes. The morbid possibility that in Phil’s defence, this guy might have been killed…suffocated in self-defence. But Phil’s not to blame. He was attacked, and even with the possibility of this happening, they don’t know the extent to Phil abilities, or the extent of the other man’s.

Dan speaks softly, “we don’t know that. He attacked you Phil, and you didn’t even know what you were doing. You can’t blame yourself like that. For all we know, he probably got away.”

The thought of that is also uncomfortable, someone who had such an intent on the loose. But it’s better than the alternative. Phil doesn’t look reassured. But there is no denying that at least some of Dan’s words are true. He could have broken free; someone else might have gotten him out. There are infinite possibilities and practically no answers.

Phil just nods, grimacing slightly. It suddenly feels like everything is a bit too much. Events unfolding that are way out of their depth. Dan wants to provide comfort and reassurance, but he has little to none to offer in this circumstance. Leaning in and kissing Phil’s cheek he stands up, giving the other a small smile that he can only just manage to manifest.

“You’re freezing and still completely soaked. I’ll grab you a towel and a change of clothes. Then I’ll call PJ and Chris. I think, I mean, you don’t have to if it’s too much. But I think we should go and see if he’s still there. We can’t just leave it. Maybe Chris can unfreeze him. And then...I’ll call them now.”

Phil doesn’t react and Dan’s heart sinks.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise? I was so eager to get this chapter out, because everything is finally starting to really happen as of this point! Some people commented and guessed (mostly hoped) that Phil would eventually be able to do something, so I suppose this chapter answers that, right? ;) I actually left little hints throughout the story, in several different scenes, floating around a number of chapters. I was always wondering if anyone would pick up on them (and I hope people still remember, because some of them were right towards the start, but they're mostly randomly scattered). Gaah, seriously my excitement for finally having this chapter out is real. I seriously hope it was worth the wait and build up!


	18. Ripple In A Pond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, thank you all so much for your comments last chapter! Seriously, I was kind of blown away. So here, have some sort of answers ( and maybe a few more questions).

The half an hour wait between the moment Dan calls PJ and the moment both him and Chris arrive feels like the longest 30 minutes of Dan’s entire life. The mood is dreary all around, a complete reflection on the raging storm still happening outside. 

“How’s Phil? PJ asks, as soon as both he and Chris are safely ushered into Dan’s hallway.

Dan bites the corner of his lip before replying. “Not so great. He’s sort of terrified, everything happened all at once.”

PJ lets out a loud breath, and Chris shakes his head; an abnormal sense of seriousness in his tone of voice. “Yeah well, some asshole fucking attacked him. I don’t blame him.”

There is a pause as Chris’ words linger. Worry laces both Dan and PJ’s faces simultaneously, and Dan’s shoulders flatten as though it is stuck by some invisible weight. It’s nothing compared to that he knows Phil is feeling though. Despite his best efforts, he hasn’t managed to help Phil’s situation or mood in the slightest.

“He’s in my room,” Dan says, indicating the direction with slight head jolt despite the fact that everyone knows the way well by now. They walk in silence, and pile into Dan’s room, closing the door behind them.

This is definitely a conversation Dan doesn’t want his parents to stumble into when they come back from one of Adrian’s vast array of extra-curricular activities. Which, in all honesty, Dan couldn’t be happier for at this moment. He is completely unsure as to how he would have explained everything that happened earlier with Phil.

As soon as they enter the room Phil looks up from his spot on the bed. His legs are crossed under him, and he chucks them a small smile. He fidgets slightly, one hand playing with the same section of his fringe over and over, the other clenching a small chunk of the duvet beneath him. 

Greetings seem like a pleasantry no one is willing to offer. Completely irrelevant and unnecessary given the circumstances they are all currently in. PJ however is the first to speak once again, and this time it’s something surprisingly familiar to what Dan’s heard before.

PJ wears the same confused expression as the previous day; lips turned down slightly at the corners and eyes creased with some sort of concern.

“I’d ask if you’re alright, but...” PJ trails off, “but, are you feeling okay? Like, I know you’re anxious, and I can help with that, if you want, but do you feel…strange at all?”

Chris steps in with a sarcastic comment before anyone else can answer. “He trapped some asshole in ice, which he didn’t know he could do- and is totally cool by the way Phil, just saying- _how exactly_ do you think he’s feeling?”

PJ shoots him a glance. “That’s not what I mean, it’s just... he’s got a weird aura. I can’t pin point it.”

Dan’s voice comes out a little unstable as he finishes PJs explanation. “The black one? That translucent one I had?”

“What?” Phil questions, his voice coming out a little raspy as he speaks.

Chris and Phil both have equal looks of confusion and it occurs to Dan, that maybe it shouldn’t have been something that both him and PJ just shrugged off.

“The other day I could see something was off with Dan. I could sense it too, but it was also barely visible. It was pretty transparent though, like it was clinging onto something but also fading. Leeching onto something, but barely hanging on. I’d never seen it before…but Phil. He’s got it too...and it’s stronger than the once I saw on Dan. This one isn’t so translucent. But I feel like it’s almost becoming that way. I think it might have been stronger before, but like Dan’s, it’s sort of fading.”

Dan lets out a harsh swallow. This is exactly the opposite of news he wants to hear right now. He wants something that will help Phil, not hinder the comfort that Dan spent trying to build up for well over half an hour. Everything seems like it is just piling up. He risks a glance at Phil, the older male seems to visibly pale at the news. Dan’s pretty sure that he’s looking a similar colour too.

“And what does that mean?” Dan asks, but he knows exactly what the information is leading to. And it’s far from good.

“Well I mean, this guy- whoever he is. Maybe he’s doing something. Whatever it is might be causing this weird effect.”

“Like what?”

PJ pauses for a moment, pondering exactly how to phrase his words. All eyes are latched onto him, concern evident among them.

“I mean, Phil almost blacked out. Something caused that, it wasn’t just a coincidence, and I’m guessing it was him. We don’t know how, but somehow he seems able to force people into sleep, or at least lock them into some sort of trance like state. But the question is what about you Dan? You said nothing like that happened to you, but I don’t have another theory for what I’m seeing.”

All eyes avert to Dan. He takes a deep breath, the only thing keeping him stable right now. “Well no, I didn’t black out or anything. Nothing went fuzzy…but,” Dan pauses, brows frowning as he recalls any sort of information. “The night before I had a weird experience. I sort of woke up in a cold sweat. I felt really…fearful. Overwhelmingly scared; like I’d had a nightmare, but couldn’t quite remember it.”

Silence ensues for another moment. This time it seems long and drawn out, like breaking it would change everything. There’s no doubt in Dan’s mind that there is a connection and now, everyone knows it.

“That’s just fucked up.” Chris announces, leaning back against Dan’s books shelf. His eyes are closed as he shakes his head. “No fucking way is there some sort of nightmare guy out there. It’s insane.”

“It’s no different to you and you’re Pyrokinesis,” PJ declares. “In case you didn’t notice, all of us are sort of impossible. And it makes sense. I’m thinking that maybe what I’m seeing is some sort of imprint. If he’s getting inside someone’s mind, maybe it’s also leaving some sort of mark.”

That thought alone is enough to send shivers up Dan’s spine.

“So this thing…this aura. It is going to fade, right?” Phil questions, slightly hesitantly.

Pj nods in response. “Yeah it should. Dan’s did. I mean I’m just guessing, but if it has something to do with your mind or even your emotions, it might be stronger at first. Maybe it needs something to cling to in order to work? My best bet would be fear or anxiety, because they are some of the strongest on you right now. There is the possibility of it feeding off them in some way, or maybe just latching on as an easy pathway. I’m not really sure.”

“We’re not sure about anything,” Dan mumbles, sourness laced within his words. “That’s the problem. All we are doing is guessing.”

“I’m not seeing a lot of options here,” Chris comments. “Unless you plan on miraculously finding the guy and questioning him, we’re not going to get any answers easily.”

 Dan pauses for a moment, biting his lip. “That’s the thing.”

“What is?” PJ asks.

Before Dan has the answer, Phil pips up. His voice is slightly shaky as he talks. “Well, I froze him. Quite literally. So chances are we won’t have to worry again.”

“Phil-” Dan says, his brows frowning in concern.

“God, but I did Dan. He- this guy, he is probably dead. And I did _that._ ”

He loses it towards the end, his voice coming off wobbly and uneven. There are tears prickling in the corner of his eyes, threatening to spill over. Dan is by his side instantly, pulling him into a tight hug, as Phil shakes within his arms. Finally crying the tears that had threatened to fall so many times over the past evening.

No one knows what to say, and Dan almost wants to tell PJ to help Phil out, to make it stop. Because the sight of Phil like this almost physically aches within Dan’s chest. PJ won’t though, not unless Phil asks for it, and especially not in a moment like this without permission.

“You don’t know that though.” Chris comments, much to everyone’s surprise. “And you know what? Even if you did, he freaking deserved it.”

“Chris,” PJ warns, but despite his protest, Chris continues.

“It’s true though. He attacked you; tried to render you unconscious and he almost succeeded. If it wasn’t for the fact that these unknown abilities came up, the ones that _saved your life_ , god knows where you might be. You certainly wouldn’t be in Dan’s room with us. I can assure you of that.”

Phil stops shaking, like Chris’ words really stuck a nerve. Dan has never been happier to have Chris as a friend than right at this moment. For as much shit and jokes as he tries to dish out, no one can be more loyal and serious than the rare moments that Chris chooses to be. And for that, Dan is sort of eternally grateful.

“Besides, you have some sort of ice ability, right? But who knows how long it lasts, or what you can actually do.”

“He’s right,” PJ agrees. “There might be changes or limitations we don’t know about. The ice might not last forever, or it might freeze everything completely. Including someone’s whole system. Maybe once they unfreeze, it’s as if nothing ever happened.”

Phil pulls back, swallowing. He looks uncertain as he speaks. “So what do you suggest?”

Chris smiles wide, back to his usual self.

“That we test it out.”

Phil blinks, staring at Chris blankly, almost as though what was suggested is completely incomprehensible.

“But I don’t-” Phil stumbles, mumbling his words almost incoherently. “I don’t know what I did, or how to do it, it just happened, I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Dan places a hand on his back, rubbing small circles in a soothing manner.

“We can help with that, though.” PJ speaks.

Phil looks at them wearily. “How?”

“In case you don’t remember. Elemental control is sort of my thing too. And PJ here, can tap into your emotions and wipe out any panic that this situation is causing you. With a steady head and some help from us, I think it should be easy.” Chris comments. “Of course, you won’t be as good as me _yet_ , but if you can copy what I do, or at least try to do the same, picking up on it shouldn’t be too hard.”

Phil takes another deep breath, looking over from Chris and towards Dan, as though he wants some sort of reassurance. To be honest, this is one of the better ideas Chris has ever come up with. They don’t know what Phil’s capable of, and at least by testing him they might have a better idea of what might have happened. Not to mention a better understanding of what Phil is actually able to do.

“Give it a go,” Dan encourages, smiling sympathetically. “Being frightened of your ability doesn’t help. It just makes it worse. Control is important. All three of us have learned that the hard way. But if you try, you won’t have to. And having us here will make everything easier.”

Nodding, Phil agrees. Tapping a finger against his leg nervously, he questions, “so what do we do now then?”

“I guess we’ll need some water? Something for you to have a go at freezing. But nothing too big, just something that might be easy to start with.” Dan replies.

“A glass of water?” PJ suggests.

“Yeah that might work, does that sound alright Phil?”

Phil nods again and Dan knows it’s because he is partially frightened and also slightly reluctant. However, Dan doesn’t blame him one bit. The concept is scary enough on its own, without having to add today’s previous events in. But it’s for the best. The sooner they know what Phil is capable of, at least on a basic level, the better it is for everyone. Especially for Phil. And after all, with a little bit of PJ’s help and guidance, it will be easier than if it was attempted alone.

Taking a deep breath, Phil asks. “Uh, Peej, would you mind…?”

He doesn’t need to finish his sentence. PJ gives a small gesture and all of a sudden Dan can physically feel the surrounding tension vanish into thin air. Phil shoulders slump down, no longer regeared and tense. He looks a lot more relaxed, much more content and stable then earlier.

“Thanks,” Phil breaths.

“I’ll get a glass of water, then.” Dan suggests, giving Phil shoulder a small squeeze and placing a kiss on his cheek. Phil gives him a small grin and Dan can’t help but smile back. He’s missed it, watching Phil go into such a state was almost emotionally draining. He doesn’t ever want to see his boyfriend in such a state again, especially if there is some way he can prevent it.

He returns a moment later, small glass of water in hand. Chris pauses his sentence as Dan walks in, gesturing towards Dan’s bedside table that someone had managed to clear off and move into the centre of the room. Judging by the way his -new- lamp and figures are set neatly on the floor, Dan is inclined to believe it was probably PJ’s doing.

Placing the glass down, Dan steps away. Once again closer to Phil’s side but providing extra space for the other male to use.  Phil looks a little nervous again, but not nearly enough as he probably would be without the empath’s help. Dan assumes it’s because PJ wants him to still feel, after all, abilities seem to tie in with emotions, and jamming them completely might screw things up, or hinder the process in some way.

“Now what?” Dan questions, almost asking for Phil.

“Well, when I create fire, I sort of think about the element first. I imagine the warmth of it in my hand, and picture it being created. Almost like setting off a spark.” As if to demonstrate his point, Chris opens his palm. He focuses on the centre of it, closing his eyes for a moment. All of a sudden a small crack equates from his palm, followed by a vibrant array of oranges and reds, sitting right in the middle.

Phil watches, slightly transfixed. His eyes taking in every possible move and studying them. Blue eyes trail the fire, watching it flicker but hold its size and shape effortlessly.

“I’m not sure if it’s the same as you, but there might be a chance that you can do similar things to water. After all, in order to freeze the man like you say you did, the water must have been perfectly surrounding him.

Phil bites his lip, nodding.

“Okay so, this is going to sound really fucking lame. But we’ll try it anyway because it’s what I used to do as a kid.” Chris admits. “Close your eyes for a sec. Like, completely shut. Then just think about the fire…or in your cause, water. Try and feel it almost, recall the feeling you had earlier. The one you told Dan about.”

Phil follows the instructions, closing his eyes and attempting to remember. It vaguely radiates though him, but it’s more of the moment than the feeling being re-created. 

“Got it?” Chris questions after a few minutes.

“I think, yeah.” Phil replies, opening his eyes once again.

“Right now, recreate it, but instead focus on the glass. Imagine the water shifting, or rising upwards.”

Phil tries, his brows furrowing in concentration. PJ levels out his emotions, and Dan doesn’t fail to notice his less than relaxed posture, clearly trying to focus on balancing them out at just the right amount.

It takes all of five minutes before Phil slumps backwards. “It’s not working.”

Chris waves it off, his hand fluttering beside him. “Well you said that you had your eyes closed when you did it, right? Like instinct or reflex? Maybe try again, but this time with your eyes closed. Open out your palm and shut your eyes, and focus on the same thing.”

Phil does as his told, resting his palm out in front of him, close to the cup but still leaving a large enough cap between.

“Right, so focus on that feeling and imagine the water weighing nothing. Imagine like it’s just floating in a pool, but upwards instead.”

There is no response from Phil, but Dan can tell he is fully concentrating on what Chris is saying. Suddenly Dan notices a shift, a small bump within the water. His breath catches in his throat, almost forming a lump as he tries to swallow. It’s smooth, only a small increase right in the centre. It only takes a second before it grows, pushing upwards. The small bump no longer smooth, but moving vertically upwards.

The room goes completely still. Neither Dan, Chris nor PJ willing to move a single muscle as they take in the sight before them. The water continues to move, upwards in a steady motion, slightly blobby, steam increasing in width as it moves. Suddenly it comes into contact with Phil’s open palm, pooling around in a small blob, crystal clear.

It coagulates perfectly in the middle of Phil’s palm, all the water having left the glass and made into the spiral shape.

“Now picture it frozen; everything moulding together.”

Chris’ voice is slightly stunned, reflecting the awe in the other two boys.

Suddenly, the water becomes foggy, turning cloudy and misty. It only takes seconds before it is completely frozen, almost into a perfect sphere.

Dan looks in disbelief. His eyes wide and mouth slightly hung open.

“Holy shit Phil,” Chris says, his words completely reflecting Dan’s own thoughts.

Phil opens his eyes, frowning momentarily before he notices what everyone is talking about. His eyes go comically wide, worse than Dan’s own. The words are caught in his throat; the only sounds he is making are airless and choked.

“You did it,” Dan says in awe.

Phil doesn’t avert his eyes, focusing in pure amazement at the object before him. A grin flashes onto his face and he lets loose a small laugh that sounds like nothing but complete astonishment.

“I am an amazing teacher, you’re welcome.” Chris comments, a massive grin plastered onto his face.

Phil averts his gaze, a thank you laced onto his lips. As soon as he does though, the concentration drops. He glances at Chris for no more than a few seconds, and all of a sudden the moment is gone. The ice reverts back into water, slipping from its frozen form and splashing into Phil’s hand. The contents spilling over the edge, falling onto the bedside table and dripping down onto the floor.

 “Uh,” Dan mumbles as they all watch the process happen before their very eyes.

Pulling his hands back, Phil lets the remaining water drip down, staring at his empty hand.

“I lost concentration…and it reverted back.”

It takes a moment for it to sink in. The real meaning behind those words, the clear underlying message.

“Does that mean…?” Chris asks, sentence open.

PJ gives a quick nod, “yeah, I think it does.”

Phil got away, but it means that there is a chance, that maybe, so did the attacker.

“We need to find out.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've also finally got round to naming the chapters. No more of this chapter 15: Chapter 14 business. Now lets all pray the names don't become too cringe worthy. Although i'm making no promises. Titles has never been my forte.


	19. Downpour

The outside weather is relentless but in a small way, Dan is almost thankful for it; because there is a possibility that without it, Phil wouldn’t be trudging through the storm beside him.

“Do you reckon you could just…stop it from raining?” Chris asks, pulling his umbrella a little bit closer to himself as he huddles next to PJ. “Or ya know, pool it around our heads? Do something so we don’t all become completely drowned rats.”

Dan signs as Phil gives him a blank look.

“Phil literally discovered his ability less than 3 hours ago, what do you think?” Dan says dryly. Chris shrugs in front of them, kicking a rather large puddle as they walk past it.

“Worth a shot. Besides, if this guy is still a human icicle how am I supposed to unfreeze him with all this rain? I’m still not so great with heat control and with the downpour I’m not sure fire would hold out.”

That thought hadn’t really crossed Dan’s mind, but it seems like the most unlikely scenario at the moment, given the night’s previous discovery.

“Doubt you will have too,” Phil admits. He doesn’t sound particularly nervous, but Dan knows he is anything but. PJ went a bit lax on his control and even though Phil is containing himself a bit better, it’s impossible to miss his apprehension.

There isn’t anything about this situation that is comforting. The best scenario is that Phil abilities acted in a similar fashion as earlier. But if that’s true, then it means that some guy is still on the loose. The thought sits uncomfortably in Dan’s chest. Not only was Phil a target of some sort tonight, but there is a high possibility that everyone else might be as well.

“Are we close, Phil?” PJ questions, effectively drawing Dan out from his thought trail.

Phil nods, “Just the next street over.”

The group is silent as they approach. As soon as they reach the end of the street PJ and Chris stop, forcing Dan and Phil to halt behind them.

“Right, I think that it would be a good idea for the four of us to stay close. If something _does_ happen, we should whatever means necessarily to defend each other, okay?” PJ clarifies.

The thought doesn’t sit well in Dan’s chest. He’s had to defend himself before and the thought of being in a similar situation is slightly terrifying.

“What exactly does all means necessary actually entail, Peej?” Chris asks.

PJ doesn’t hesitate. “It means if we are attacked, any of us, at any time, don’t hesitate to use your abilities. If Phil hadn’t, he might not have been here. The same goes for us.”

It’s aimed slightly more at Phil and he lets out a deep breath, the cool air turning it into a foggy wispier. Dan agrees completely, now that there is some sort of danger out there, they should all be on the same page. He doubts he will hesitate, now that he knows what has happened, but the fact that someone knows about him is still out there. And in a threatening situation like that, more people are likely to find out.

It’s not as though there is anyone in the streets at this time. They haven’t seen a car for a few minutes and no one in their right mind would willingly step into this storm. So this is their best chance, and if something does go down, the four of them stand a higher chance together then they do alone.

“Yeah,” Dan agrees. Phil stays silent beside him, and he almost expects Chris to crack some sort of joke. He doesn’t, and for some reason, all it does is make the pressure of the situation that much worse.

They walk almost in sync, approaching the area with hesitance and caution.

Dan's eyes glance around, almost squinting though the rain. The hedge looks like it has been backed into; a relatively large indent towards the centre where he assumes Phil fell.

"He's not there..." Phil practically whispers.

A part of Dan almost fills with glee as he watches his boyfriends shoulders drop in relief. It's short lived though, as Chris is the first to point out what the situation beholds.

"So, that means there is some psychopath on the loose. I'm not sure this actually counts as a win. Or any form of positive at all."

"It's better then the alternative." Dan confirms.

He watches a PJ lets out the heavy breath, the air fogging as it leaves. The sound of rain is the only thing echoing around them. He believes what he's said. Despite the danger it caused, he knows Phil would be all but crippled at the thought of harming other person in such a way, regardless of their intentions.

"Lets go back," PJ suggest.

Huddled under the umbrella, Dan takes Phil's hand. This time, he notices that it isn't shaking.

-

"Dan?"

As soon as the door opens, Dan's greeted with a familiar set of worried brown eyes.

"Dan. What on earth were you doing out in the- Oh, hi boys." She greets, her sentence completely interrupted, slightly surprised look on her face as she watches Chris, Phil and PJ pile into the house one after the other.

"Hi, Mrs Howell." PJ replies, Chris giving a nod of the head and a smile whilst Phil gives a small wave. Dan struggles as his mum averts her gaze back to him; awaiting the answer that Dan is completely unable to give her.

"Uh," Dan mumbles. He doesn't have a good excuse, and he's never been that great at coming up with lies in the spot. It’s obvious that his mother won’t let this go, just by the look on her face. Luckily, he has Chris.

"We just had to walk over from Phil's. The four of us were all having a go at the new multiplayer video game that he had, but Dan forgot his phone and wanted to let you know where he was. So we decided to pop over and get it, but I guess we don’t have to send you a message now."

Dan glances uncertainly at Chris, forcing himself not to cringe. He isn’t sure that it’s going to work. After all it's not exactly the best lie, but then again another is better than _sorry we were out checking to make sure that the Phil didn’t accidently kill the guy with his new found supernatural abilities in self-defence after he was attacked._  

"Right." Her eyebrows rise for a moment, before a smile falls onto her face. Dan almost sighs in relief. "How about you boys come inside and get a hot drink. It's freezing out there. And knowing Dan, he's bound to get a cold if he doesn't warm up quickly. It’s good to see you all, it’s been a while since you’ve all come over."

"Sure. Thank you." PJ responds in behalf of them.

As soon as they are out of earshot, Dan lets out a small groan. It’s a good thing his parents are fond of his friends, including the most recent addition of Phil.

"That was close."

They were all too close to being caught for comfort.

"You're welcome," Chris retorts. He takes of his shoes, looking down grimly at the sight of his feet. His right sock is wet, almost to the point of covering half is foot. "As payment, you can offer me your socks. I forgot there was a hole in my shoe."

Dan can't help himself as a laugh escapes his lips. Trust this to happen to Chris after such an intense few hours. "Yeah, go wait in the kitchen, I'll be right back."

As they momentarily part ways, he can't help but think that he owes Chris more than just a fresh pair of socks. 

-

It takes a bit of small talk with Dan’s parents before the boys are free to do as they will, but the moment they are out of the kitchen there is one thing on their mind.

“So…now what?”

Dan questions as they all trudge their way up the staircase. There is a momentary pause in conversation as the four of them pile back into the bedroom, closing the door firmly behind them.

“I suppose we come up with a plan,” PJ responds, making himself comfortable as he leans against Dan’s bed frame.

Dan raises his eyebrows as Chris lets out a snort.

“I vote for the one where we don’t get, you know, killed.”

“Or how about the one where we use you as a sacrifice,” PJ mutters, eyes rolling.

Unable to miss a beat, Chris responds. “Isn’t it supposed to be a virgin sacrifice? Because you of all people should know that’s not possible.”

Both Dan and Phil are unable to ignore the snicker that passes through their lips. 

“Still don’t want to hear those stories,” Phil mumbles. Nodding, Dan can’t help but feel the exact same way.

“As interesting as I’m sure your sex life is, we sort of have more important things to discuss.” Dan resumes, pulling the conversation back. When he thinks about it, the way Chris turns their discussions into one-on-on sex talks is slightly alarming. It’s definitely something he could do spending less time -unwillingly- thinking about.

“I think maybe, we should have a buddy system,” Phil suggests. Chris shifts, his feet no longer dangling off the bed. He pulls himself up, eyebrows raised.

“I don’t think primary school tactics are going to save us here Phil…no offense.” He adds.

PJ on the other hand is quick to disagree. “No, that’s a good idea. They attacked Phil when he was on his own, so chances are, if we always stick together, there is less likely to be a problem. And even if there is one, then there is a better chance of two or more of us to fight it off.”

“Yeah,” Dan agrees, glancing towards Phil and seeing a small smile momentarily grace his lips for the first time this evening.

“What else though, we can’t just sit around and wait in groups of two,” Chris replies. “I personally, am not willing to have my ass handed to me the moment I’m alone.”

“I doubt that would happen to you anyway, Chris. You could literally light them up.” PJ admits, “I don’t think they would have much of a chance.”

“Maybe with me and Dan, no. But what about you and Phil? What have either of you got to defend yourself  with? Good luck? Sure Phil can gain some control and get better, but what about you Peej. If I’m going down the line, you’re next on the easy target list.”

Silence falls as Chris’ words sink in. Dan can practically hear the brunette’s heart break, like the reality of the situation is too much. It’s a slight shock to Dan, after all Chris has never been one to openly express his feelings, or more accurately, venerability. But when it comes to PJ, he knows Chris has never been more vulnerable. The same goes each way.

PJ knows two, his hands crawling between the gaps between them and locking with Chris’.

“Don’t worry, I can handle myself.”

Green eyes light up as they glance into Chris’ and it almost feels as though Dan is intruding on an intimate moment.

“Besides,” PJ adds as he eventually breaks contact with Chris and looks back towards the others. “I’ve never had to do it before, but I’ve heard that immense terror and anxiety is not something you want to feel. I’m sure it’s rather crippling in a fight.”

“I feel so sorry for your parents when you were unable to control yourself.” Dan jokes and PJ gives off a guilty smile.

“You and me both. Trust me, one crying kid and two crying adults was not a pretty sight.”

PJ’s phone takes that exact moment to buzz, his short message tone going off once.

“Mum is here to grab me and Chris. I think it’s a better idea then walking, even if the weather wasn’t so horrible.”

They both make their way off the bed and towards the doorway.

“We can discuss it more tomorrow. If you need anything Phil, just call. Don’t hesitate okay.”

“Thanks,” Phil sighs, relief evident in his voice as the other two leave.

Without discussion, Dan takes a few steps over, silently wrapping his arms around Phil and pulling him in for a hug. Although he isn’t shaking anymore, Dan can still feel the way his body is slightly tense. Exhaustion however is almost plastered on Phil’s face. He looks even paler than usual, this whole experience draining him completely.

“I should call dad, see if he can get me soon. It is getting a bit late anyway.”

Dan shakes his head. Instead pulling away and placing a chaste kiss on Phil’s lips.

“No, stay here tonight.”

Phil looks at him in surprise. “Will your parents mind?”

Dan shrugs, smiling at Phil in reassurance. “They will probably assume you just went home, and I went to bed early. They will be gone for work before we even leave for school. It won’t be a problem.”

A looks of relief washes against Phil’s face as Dan finishes speaking. His eyes sparkle with a little bit of life, and thankfulness is clear within then. He steps forward this time, closing the small gap between the two of them and placing his mouth upon Dan’s.

His lips move slowly, moulding with Dan’s own. Fist clinching tight into the front of Dan’s top.

It’s unhurried, but so much more intense than any other kiss they have had before.

 As Dan pulls back, they are both slightly out of breath.

“Stay?”

Phil gives a small smile. “Thank you.”

This time, he's not going to let Phil sleep alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have missed a few Wednesday updates, and I'm sorry about that. But don't threat, i'm not abandoning this at all, I love writing it way too much. Which may also explain why I stayed up until 3 am last night to get it done in time. I've just been hella busy. I hope you found the chapter worth the wait! Thank you for sticking with it :)


	20. Nightmare

It’s too dark.

He can’t see anything; everything around him is completely covered in darkness. There isn’t an inch of light anywhere, pitch black surrounding his entire frame. His hand is outstretched, waving right in front of his face in frequent motion. But it can’t be seen.  If it wasn’t for the fact that Dan can still feel his own body, he wouldn’t know it was even there.

It’s also cold, almost to the point where Dan can start to feel his body trembling.  At the same level where fog would be forming as soon as his breath leaves his mouth. Dan swallows, feeling hyper aware of everything and nothing all at once. Fear quickly laces his body and he freezes, almost to the point of where everything could just shut down.

He closes his eyes, telling himself to breath. In and out, trying to take air in slow deep breaths. Blinking rapidly, trying to get some sort of visual, Dan tries to look around. His mind reels, because he doesn’t know what’s going on. He doesn’t know where he is or why he can’t see. Panic rises as he tries to remember what happened. But he can’t.

Then it washes over him suddenly. The breath is torn from his lungs. As though it was sucked out of his body in one heave. He gasps for air. The inside if his body beginning to feel as though it is burning up from the inside. Lungs contracting and heart beating wildly. Dan gulps, steadily sinking to his knees, hands wrapping around his throat. 

  
The world goes fizzy, his brain pounding inside his head as his body screams for oxygen.   
  
Then everything goes black.   
  
The sound of gasping of air fills the room. Dan sits up right, his body covered in sweat as oxygen pours in and out of his lungs at lightning speed. The sheets are crumpled all around him, the bed cover fallen onto the floor beside the bed.   
  
"Dan?!" Phil’s voice is almost frantic as he worriedly looks his counterpart up and down. Both hands are rested on each of Dan’s shoulders, firmly gripping each arm.   
  
Looking to the side, Dan forces his eyes to focus on the familiar mop of black hair beside him. Phil eyes are wide, staring back at him, eyebrows bent in concern.  
  
"What just happened?"   
  
Dan doesn’t respond, attempting to catch his breath. His chest still burns, yearning of the oxygen he was previously deprived of. Phil continues to give him space, giving him the room necessary for Dan to recover; all the while keeping a firm grip on the other male’s body.

"I...don't know," Dan replies after a good moment. "I couldn’t breathe."  
  
Phil grimaces’, biting his lip anxiously as the other male continues. "Everything was cold and dark and then it was like the air was sucked from my lungs."  
  
Dan shivers at the thought, his breath finally slowing down in pace. He feels the bed shift beside him as Phil moves; pressing up onto his side. His right arm moving from its previous grip and onto a new hold around the other male’s hip. He leans forward, head resting on his boyfriend’s shoulders as he pulls the brunet beside him a little bit closer.   
  
Taking a few more deep breaths, Dan all but tucks himself into Phil's side, relishing in the feel for just a moment. His mind goes momentarily blank as Phil gives a kiss to the side of his head. Lips’ pressing firmly against the area on his forehead right before the hair line begins.   
  
When he pulls back, Dan continues. "It was him Phil, I know it. He keeps getting inside my mind. This is the same thing that happened last time, except worse. Last time was only a nightmare. But this felt....it felt _real_ Phil. I stopped breathing in my dream and it caused me to stop in real life. I don’t even know how that’s possible, but he did it."  
  
Comforting words fail to fall from Phil’s lips, and they both know that it’s not because he doesn’t care, but everything to do with the fact that this situation can’t be exactly comforted. They barely know what they are up against. Let alone how to stop it. Chances are that they might not even be able to.  The words, _it will be okay_ can’t exactly be used right now. Because they both know that, as scary as the thought is, it might not _actually be okay._  
  
"We will work it out."   
  
Dan swallows. He wants to believe those words, possible more than he has ever wanted to believe anything in his entire life.  
  
Phil picks up on it; the struggle in Dan's head is almost equal in his own.   
  
"Im here, always. Okay?" He leans in a little closer, fingers running soothingly against the skin on Dan’s arm. The words are hushed; almost as though it is some sort of special secret between them. And in a way, Dan supposes it sort of is. He doesn’t know what he would be doing without Phil by his side.   
  
"Yeah. I know," he replies just as softly. The rest of his sentence remains unspoken. But Phil gives him one of those soft, sincere smiles that Dan loves so much, and he knows that Phil understands perfectly.   
  
He doesn’t manage to fall asleep until several hours later, when Phil is pressed firmly against his side, cradling against him. The soft breath lures him to sleep, the feel of Phil’s chest rising and falling against his own, and the night’s previous events finally able to slip from his mind.   
                                                                                                                                 _  
  
"What happened?" PJ demands as soon as he sees Dan walk through the classroom doors. A few uncertain and questionable looks are passed between the surrounding classmates as they hear the random outburst.  
  
Dan raises an eyebrow, pretending not to know what PJ is talking about as he notices. "What?"  
  
"Nothing, sorry. I thought I saw something." PJ apologises, forcing himself to choke back the millions questions and wait until the surrounding individuals turn back to their previous conversation.  
  
As soon as Dan takes his seat PJ continues, this time his voice much more hushed.   
  
"Did he attack you? I can see the aura, Dan. What happened?"   
  
"Another nightmare. Except this time I think it almost killed me."  
  
It’s almost weird how naturally the sentence flows out. Almost like Dan came to terms with it, like it has become such a part of their daily life now that it almost shouldn’t be shocking. It still scares him though. They thought that maybe if he had still been sleep for one more second he might not be sitting in this very classroom. There seems to be far too much of that going around recently.  
  
Green eyes go wide. "What exactly do you mean?"  
  
"I couldn’t breathe in my dream, and somehow that stopped me from doing it in real life."  
  
PJ goes silent, possibly a mix between shock and taking all the information in.  
  
"How did you manage to wake up?"  
  
Dan ponders for a moment. "I’m not sure; I think it had something to do with Phil, maybe. He was right by my side when I woke up, he probably noticed when I was unable to you know, take in air. Or maybe my subconscious somehow managed to wake me up. When you almost die in a dream you usually wake up startled. At least, I think."  
  
PJ makes a grunting noise, focusing on the empty page on his not book. And more importantly, Dan doesn't fail to notice that the notebook is still empty by the end of the class.  
  
                                                                                                                                      -  
  
"You look like shit."  
  
The first words that are formed from Chris' mouth are less than desirable.   
  
"Something or, say, _someone_ keep you up at night?"   
  
The suggestive look is hard to miss. Dan situates himself into his usual lunch spot, flopping his legs out in front of him as he places his lunch on the grass.   
  
"If by someone you mean the asshole that keeps infecting my dreams and almost rendering me unconscious then yeah, someone is keeping me up all night."  
  
The look drops from Chris face instantly. "Shit, what happened?"  
  
Dan takes a short breath before diving into a quicker explanation then he had given this morning. Phil joining them with a small frown as he manages to arrive while Dan is right in the middle of it.  
  
"Why is he targeting you like that? I don't get it. But not only just you, Phil too. Why doesn’t he target me or PJ? It doesn’t make any sense."  
  
"Because," PJ announces. "I don’t think he can."  
  
The three boys look up at their friend’s sudden appearance. I mix of confusion and intrigue flashing upon their faces.   
  
"What do you mean?" Phil asks, surprise evident in his voice.   
  
PJ wastes no time with his explanation. "I think it’s because you two are the most vulnerable out of the four of us, mentally speaking."  
  
Dan recoils slightly, both surprised and somewhat offended by PJs sudden conclusion. "What exactly does that mean?"  
  
Picking up on the group’s reaction, PJ clarifies. "What I mean is, my abilities are all mental. I can see and control auras, feelings and moods, I can sense basically anything similar to those things. But unlike the three of you I can't control physical matter. I’m unable to move or manipulate things to the same degree you all can, but that being said I am able to manipulate the mind in ways neither of you can. It’s all got to do with the brain, but it does, technically lack the same sort of physical form that all your abilities have. "  
  
"I've been thinking about this all morning, and it suddenly dawned on me, that perhaps it has everything to do with the reason why he hasn't been able to intrude my mind. In order to function and stay in control of my abilities, I put up a sort of blockade; a barrier between my own emotions and everyone else’s. That way it's not overwhelming, and I don’t get lost or project other people’s feelings, or in turn, force others into feeling mine. And at the moment, I'm pretty certain that's the reason as to why he can’t enter; because I'm mentally blocking him from doing so."  
  
The group is silent, attempting to absorb everything that has just been said to them.  
"That makes a lot of sense actually," Phil admits. "It's a good theory. If you have a barrier it would be a lot easier for him to target someone else. Dan and I don’t have anything close to what you just described. And because no one knew of my abilities until recently, it made me the easiest target for a not only a mental attack, but a physical one as well."  
"But why not Chris?" Dan pipes in.  
  
Upon hearing his name, Chris shrugs in response. "I can technically blow shit up with my mind. If I tried hard enough that is. Maybe he was worried I could do it to him."   
  
"Wasn't that because you over heated the water in a kettle once?" Dan asks, "does that actually even count? I don’t really think it does."  
  
"Yeah well, aren’t humans technically made up of around 65% liquid?"  
  
That was definitely something Dan failed to take into account. Shrugging, he can’t do anything else but agree, even if it doesn’t seem like the right reason.  
"I don't think it's that," PJ declares. "I think it's because we are around each other so often he developed a bit of one himself. Mostly to block me from sensing his emotions all the time. I mean, it’s not that perfect, but Chris has gotten pretty good at it over the years. More so then you two. You are both sort of an open book at this point. And I’m guessing that if it is easy for me to read you, then it is easy for this nightmare guy to enter your mind.” PJ continues after a small pause. “That being said though, I wouldn’t call Chris’ blockage a barrier, but the way he does it just makes it a bit harder to access. Like you need to push deeper to actually figure something out, it isn’t just right there on the surface. I think maybe, he needs something to cling onto. Hence the aura that lingers after. If you can somehow manage to push it back, like Chris does most of the time, there might be a chance that it will be harder from him to access whatever source he is using.” 

“So what does that mean for the two of us? We just have to put up with being easy targets?” Dan questions hesitantly. That is definitely not a path he wants to go down. He wants to be able to sleep in peace, and not worry about the fact that once he goes to sleep, he might not ever be able to wake up.

PJ shakes his head and just the sight of it gives him a little bit of relief.

“That means that with a bit of practice, I can teach you how to block him out as well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Better late then never, right? I managed to write this whole thing in less then 24 hours (which is amazing for me, you have no idea, i am the worst at procrastinating when I sit down to write ). Thank you for reading!


	21. Transfixed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, look at that. I'm on time! Even though its technically 2am on a Thursday, I'm still counting it! It's still Wednesday in another country, right? Holy crap I'm a bit proud of myself with this. I've managed to polish off two chapters and a one-shot (Metanoia, read it if you want!) in two weeks. What. 
> 
> Also, I thought I'd add a bit less fluff and a bit more...well, fun this chapter. Don't worry, I'm going to get to smut eventually. But for now, enjoy this little scene :)

In theory, PJ’s idea is the perfect solution. In practice, however, it’s an entirely different story.

Dan groans for the hundredth time, falling sidewards until his body manages to securely flop onto the couch. “This is fucking stupid, Peej.”

The look on PJ’s face is a mix between sympathy and mild exasperation. “You need to keep trying Dan.”

“It’s not working, I can’t mix up my emotions just like that, and I can’t hide them under anything else when you’re literally _forcing me to feel them.”_

PJ sighs, sitting down on the arm chair. “We’ll the point of the exercise is that you’re supposed to counter the emotion with a different one.”

Letting out another groan, Dan flips over; his face now up close and personal with the couch cushions. For some reason, he just can’t seem to get a grip on this ‘blockade’, and no matter how hard he tries, he isn’t able to block it out sufficiently. PJ is still able to manipulate his emotions into feeling whatever he desires, and there isn’t a damn thing Dan has been able to do about it.

He feels tired, both mentally and physically. Somehow, Phil had managed to get a little bit of control within a few days, but it has been a week, and Dan is no closer to discovering how to block it then he was at the beginning.

“I’ll get us both a drink. We can take a few minutes and then try again, okay?” PJ questions, standing up and stretching a little.

Dan’s only response is an extra loud breath, mixed in with a small grunt.  He looks like a mess, the lack of sleep is wearing him down. It’s becoming more than just a hindrance now. His parents are asking questions that he is completely unable to give answers too.

The thing is, the nightmares don’t even happen every night, and for the first few nights Dan had managed to have a peaceful sleep. But then PJ would see the aura the very next day and they were back to square one. In reality, Dan was beginning to fear falling asleep, because even though he didn’t always wake up gasping for air, the feeling of knowing that someone was entering his subconscious as he slept was a terrifying thought.

PJ arrives back far too quickly for Dan’s liking. Placing both glasses on the coffee table beside them, he sits back down in his previous seat. Almost letting out a sigh of relief at the fact they havn’t started back up immediately, Dan flips himself over so he is partially facing towards the brunette.   
  
"How are things with your family?" PJ asks, and it’s not actually that surprising. They've been asking more questions than usual. Noticing Dan’s semi odd behaviour and the ever growing set of bags under his eyes.   
  
"Adrian asks more questions than my parents do. I think he's heard me up and about at night, mostly just walking around. Our rooms are a lot closer together then everyone else’s. I think he knows Phil has been staying over a bit recently too. He hasn’t said anything, but he just gives me that look in the morning. I think he's assuming my lack of sleep is due to different purposes."   
  
PJ laughs, shaking his head. "That'd be the better option."  
  
Dan gets a shy smile. It's almost a weird feeling, being able to talk to his best friend like this. It feels like forever since he has been able to chat with PJ just one on one. They used to have nothing but crap to talk about, including all the little, meaningless things that went on in their lives. Chris and PJ were always a good topic of conversation and even though the relationship talk was pretty much one sided, due to Dan never really having a significant other, he misses it. Now all anyone ever seems to talk about is what their next move is with nightmare guy. To say he missed this is an understatement.   
  
"What about you and Chris?" Dan questions in return. "He has been sticking to you like glue recently."  
  
"He tries to play most things off as a joke, but I know he’s worried. Most of his shit stirs have an underlying tone to them. He's just as worried as the rest of us, even though he tries not to show it. He’s worried that I can’t defend myself if the guy tried to go after me like he did Phil. But I don’t think he will. He would have tried by now."  
  
Dan hums in agreement. He knows Chris almost as well as PJ himself. Well enough to know that Chris is a giant marshmallow on the inside, and sometimes the jokes are more than just for laughs. 

It’s almost strange to think about how quickly everything managed to change. Their long life group of three turned into a group of four –which Dan is super thankful for- but then quickly turned in a whole new unwanted direction. He could have done without the constant fear for both his and his friend’s lives.

“Phil worries about you too, ya know. He has more reason than anyone else.”

Dan grimaces, because PJ is right. He’s a wide open book and an easy target, and if he doesn’t manage to get it under control, who knows what might happen. There might be a day when he doesn’t wake up.

“I know, but everything just isn’t working. And I don’t know why.”

PJ is quite for a moment, looking to the side and away from Dan as though trying to come up with a solution.

Dan pushes himself up, moving from lying down to sitting in a fluent motion.

“Well, I mean, what exactly are you thinking about when I change your emotion?”

“Anything that isn’t what you are making my feel. Or at least I try, it’s not exactly working.”

“I dunno, maybe it’s because whatever you are feeling isn’t strong enough to contradict it.”

Shrugging, Dan frowns. It’s a good point. Usually he is trying to focus on any emotion to the one is he currently feeling. Maybe that’s why it isn’t working.

“What do you suggest?”

PJ moves, crossing his legs underneath him as he lifts himself off the couch. “Well, why not focus on something specific instead. Maybe, focus on something happy. If this guy is making you feel frightened, focus on the complete opposite. Think of something that fills you up with such strong positive emotion, that it forces the negative one to diminish.”

Dan rakes his mind. He has so many memories though, that’s half the problem. He something as small as the first time he rode his bike without training wheels, or when he finally managed to get his powers under a sense of control, like moving the salt and pepper shakers. He remembers what it was like to finally become friends with Chris and PJ, and realise that he wasn’t alone. He wasn’t a freak and that there were other people like him. Like Chris and Peej and Phil.

That strikes a chord.

“Okay. Try again.” Dan demands, and PJ gives him an unknown look.

All of a sudden he feels it again, like a title wave of fear crashing over him. He takes a deep breath and he racks his brain, searching for the polar opposite. And he finds it. The memory floods into his mind, floating leaves filling the air and a smile on his face. Phil’s lips pressed against his own and suddenly the fear ebbs away. Dissolves as quickly as it appeared.

Dan opens his eyes and he is met with a smile.

“You did it,” PJ proclaims and Dan is pretty sure the dimples on his cheeks are about to pop off.

-

In Dan’s personal opinion, making out with his boyfriend is pretty much the best way to celebrate anything.   
  
Mouths interlocked, Dan presses himself against Phil. One hand wrapping itself up in Phil’s hair, gently pulling on his silky black locks, the other pressing against his back, a fist clinging onto his t-shirt almost desperately  
  
Phil’s tongue presses against Dan’s bottom lip, and he is all too happy to oblige. Parting them, Dan almost groans as he feels Phil’s tongue enter his mouth, twirling around with his own.   
  
It doesn’t take long before they break away for air, parting only for a second before it’s all lips once again. He feels Phil shift, moving backwards so his back is against the frame. A hand suddenly placed on his thigh offering silent encouragement.   
  
Dan moves, legs parting and pulling himself up and across until both legs are parted around Phil. His brain barely has time to register the fact that he is actually straddling Phil, instead his hands unwind from their previous positions and lock onto the blue eyed males hips. Clinging against them as their kiss turns slightly more passionate.   
  
Phil’s hands run around Dan's shoulders and his back. Breaking the kiss, Phil leans down and attaches his lips to the junction where Dan’s neck and collar bone meet. He plants kisses, sucking slightly between every few.  
  
Dan loses all train of thought, getting lost in the sensation as Phil works his way back up his neck. Their lips reattach with a new found passion. All Dan can feel is Phil and god, does he want more. Their tongues clash once again and this time it feels like something different entirety; hot and desperate. Dan can feel desire prickling in the pit of his stomach.   
  
Phil hands move, skimming across the cloth on Dan's back before moving towards his thighs. His hands move slowly up, sliding towards his hips and moving under the edge of Dan's black tee.   
  
A weird feeling suddenly courses its way through Dan. He shuffles, unknowingly before he brain finally clicks, coldness seeping though his skin at an exceedingly quick rate.  
  
"Holy shit Phil!" Dan practically yells as he darts back. Scrambling off Phil’s thighs, until he is no longer touching him and there is a good distance of bed spread between them. Dan wraps his arms around his middle, his entire body temperature feeling as though it has just dropped several degrees.  
  
Phil quickly catches on, retracting his hands from where they had been suddenly left mid-air.  He frowns, looking a mix between alarmed and upset.   
  
"You’re fucking freezing."  
  
Dan tries not to shiver, the sense of sudden cold beginning to leave his body, but not at the rate he wants it to.   
  
Phil gives him a guilty look, hands crumpling the sheets beside him. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- it just, I must have lost control a bit and, i er-"

  
Dan offers him a small smile, dimples showing as he nods. "No it's okay, I get it. Emotions and all make everything a bit difficult. I understand, Phil."  
  
Phil’s shoulders drop slightly in relief. "Honestly, I don't even feel cold. I didn't realise that this would happen."  
  
Dan can’t help but let out a laugh. Only this situation would actually manage to happen to the two of them. "Yeah well when you think about supernatural abilities, almost freezing your boyfriend’s insides while you’re making out doesn’t exactly spring to mind."  
  
A small red tinge graces Phil’s cheeks as he laughs. "I've been practicing with Chris while you’ve been having lessons with Peej. Figured we might as well put it to good use. I'm getting a lot better at the physical water control part, but not so much at temperature control, apparently."

“Chris seems to have that trouble too. Maybe it’s just an elemental thing.”

Phil shrugs, the tinge on his cheeks dying down as he begins to feel less embarrassed. Dan straightens up, no longer feeling absolutely freezing, and feeling a little guilty for making his boyfriend panic. He moves a bit closer, until he is sitting down next to the older male.

“How about you show me?”

“Show me?” Phil echoes questionably.

Dan has to stop himself from laughing at how adorable his boyfriend is when he’s confused. “What Chris has been teaching you.”

“Oh,” Phil comments, “I mean, I’m still not that good, but I can do a few things, nothing fancy, but I’m okay at general movement and control…sort of.”

Smiling at his boyfriend’s slight hesitance and excitement, Dan nods. “I’d love to see it.”

Phil makes his way across the bed, getting off and grabbing the bottle of water that is by his desk. He comes back, unscrewing the lid and reaching over to place the bottle on the bedside table.

He lets out a deep breath, his hand reaching over Dan like it had previously and slowly twisting around in a circular motion and gradually moving it upwards. Watching in fascination, Dan watches as the water rises out of its containment, twisting straight upwards in a thick line. It glistens slightly as it catches on the light in the room, and Dan feels the same sense of excitement and enchantment whenever he gets to watch Chris use his pyro-kinesis.

Phil moves his hand a different way, facing inwards and down. The water seems to follow his motions, dropping in height and floating across Dan and towards Phil. Once it reaches him, Phil moves his hands once again and the water responds, move effortlessly and gracefully from side to side in several long blobs. Phil halts his movements, focusing a little more and the water begins to separate, dividing and multiplying until there are hundreds on individual droplets littering their vision.

“Wow,” Dan breaths, his mouth agape. He glances from drop to drop; almost unable to believe what is actually happening right in front of him. It looks beautiful. Almost as if someone paused rain mid down pour.

“I learnt that the other day.” Phil admits, “It’s actually a bit harder to control them separately than in one blob, I think maybe because it requires more focus to keep them apart and doing different things. The first time I did it, it failed and ended up getting Chris completely soaked. He wasn’t happy.”

Laughing, Dan can almost picture the scene perfectly. He pulls away from the drops, looking over at Phil, who has his hands resting on his lap, and eyes focused on the small droplets in front of him in full concentration.

Dan can’t help but question, abilities be damned, without it, Phil is still just as transfixing. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's also been pointed out a few times (mostly by my friends and lovely editor) that I tend to put in a lot of Australian slang/ sayings without realising it. So i'm sorry if there is a phrase you might not understand occasionally. 99% of the time I don't even know i'm doing it, and I can't always change it as I feel things don't always work. Sorry!


	22. Of Fire and Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you look at that. I'm on time again! This chapter took me a while because I wanted to get it right, and I hope I did. 
> 
> Also, as a side note, I've just started a tumblr. It's sin-n-city.tumblr.com and if you'd like to follow me, go right ahead! I'd love to speak to some of you :3

 

 

 

"I think your dimples are cute," Phil comments, books in hand as thy make their way over to the lockers. Dan forces himself not to blush. Instead he nudges his shoulder against Phil playfully. 

The day, for once, is sunny and weirdly enough, Dan feels as though it represents his mood. He likes to think maybe it's because he's developed another power. Drizzle and rain was as prominent as his lack of sleep before. But now, not only has he been able to sleep (and occasionally within Phil's arms) the ominous black aura has made a full disappearance ever since he managed to get that hang of PJ's training. 

He continues to smile, dimples showing the world as he steers the conversation in a different direction. "Mum took it upon herself to pack everyone cookies for lunch." Dan says, pulling pit a giant clear zip lock bag out of his backpack and shaking it. "I think Chris is going to have a field day."

Phil laughs, opening his locker up and shoving his books inside in a cluttered fashion. "That beats my sandwich. But to be honest, anything does. I'd honestly prefer a salad then any more peanut butter sandwiches. Mum's been feeding them to me for an eternity."

"Even a salad  without  dressing?"

"Even without dressing, " Phil repeats. "And that's saying something. ”

Dan chuckles, shoving the bag to the side and out of Phil ’s  reach playfully. 

"Who says I plan on  sharing? " Dan teases. Phil gives him a pout. 

"What's mine is yours, right? Boyfriend privileges and all."

Dan scoffs. "I think you’re confused, that generally only applies to married couples, Phil. But I suppose, you might be able to have one. If you play your cards right."

Phil laughs again, his tongue hanging out slightly on the side of his mouth in what Dan believes, in constant cuteness. "Please, you'll probably be too busy fighting Chris off them all to even notice when I take some. I'm going to have at least five."

Dan raises his eyebrows. "There are only, like ten."

Phil closes his locker. "They are triple choc chip. Between me and Chris, you will be lucky to have just one."

Dan doesn't have time to retort as Phil leans over and plants a kiss on his cheek, grabbing the bag and hastily making his way towards their usual spot. It takes the brunette way to long to realise what just happened. 

-

"Seriously, Dan. Your mum makes the most amazing cookies. And brownies, actually. You don't happen to have any in that bag, do you?" Chris mumbles, mouth half full as he speaks. 

"Chris, it is literally a clear plastic bag. You would be able to see them. So no, I don't." Dan answers, rolling his eyes as his best friend continues to ungracefully chew and swallow. "Just a reminder Peej, you make out  with that."

PJ scoffs, "not with food in his mouth I don't."

"Hey," Chris retorts, "I've had a lot worse things in my mouth then food, and that hasn't stopped you before."

Phil chokes on his food, a mix between laugher, amusement and mortification. Dan unceremoniously whacks him on the back, laughing at  the look of horror and the prominent blush that suddenly appeared on PJ's cheeks.  

"Chris, don't be a dick," PJ mutters, giving him a somewhat glaring look.

Chris responds, shitting eating grin on his face. "But you are so fond of it."

Dan looses it, laughing so hard that he falls over as Chris let's out a loud yelp as PJ whacks him on the side. 

"You're impossible," PJ admits, glancing over with a flustered face as Phil looses it as well. He keels over, hand on his stomach as it begins to hurt from too much laughter. 

It takes a few moments and several more hits from PJ before everyone manages to calm down. Dan shakily wipes the tears from his eyes, as he recovers. Chris looks slightly shaky as he rubs a small patch on his arm tenderly. 

"So," Chris starts, a quick grin finding its way back to his face, much to the displeasure of PJ. "I was thinking it was about time Phil and I took our training to the next level." 

"Yeah?" Phil questions, his voice filling with slightly excitement. 

"Yep," Chris assures. "I was thinking we should have a bit of a duel."

"A  what?"  Dan splutters, his eyes going wide. "Are you serious?"

Chris rolls his eyes. "What's the problem? It's just for a bit of fun and some practice. It will help him gain better control. H e's already got basic movement down pat. He should focus on trying to gain control without such intense focus, I know it’s possible. It's basic reaction for you, Phil. We should focus on attack and defense, in a way. Especially if this guy is still after us."

Dan bites his lip. Looking around it seems as though the group is undecided. Phil looks hesitant, and PJ looks, well, slightly unsure.

"Actually, that might be a good idea," PJ admits, after a short moment.

Dan's eyebrows rise in surprise. 

"It is?" Chris asks, as though is in just as much awe as Dan is.

"Yeah actually, I think it will be a good idea for both of you to practice, not only just Phil. But maybe all four of us, in time. We are so used to just limiting our abilities to the inside of our bedroom, on random occurrences, it's hard to get a good gauge on our powers themselves. Sure we can control them, make sure things don't accidentally just happen. But we’ve never really  used them. Provided everyone is okay with that."

"Okay," Phil agrees with  only slight hesitation on his face. Dan can understand why, this is a novel experience to all of them. They usually hide their abilities, not actively go out and use them.

"Alright!" Chris exclaims. "This is going to be great. I've never had the opportunity to do this before. None of our abilities really mesh well together. Opposing elements is actually awesome. Think of the things we could do."

Dan places a hand on Phil's lap in reassurance. There are so many reasons as to why this is both a good and a bad idea. So many things that could possibly go wrong, and screw everything up. But then again, it's more then just a good opportunity. Phil should know how to use his abilities properly. There's no knowing how vulnerable he is without a good grip on them. With PJ there, it will make it that much easier. Provide him with focus and balance. This is an opportunity that they shouldn't miss. 

"Where exactly are we going to do this, though? Dan questions, the realisation suddenly dawning on him. "Its not exactly as though we can go to a local park or a football field. That wouldn't go down so well."

Chris grins, "already thought of that, actually. There is a sort of creek thing, about half an hour from here that goes though a small forest if you follow it up far enough. If you keep going, the creek widens up a bit, and there is a clearing sort of near the center. Peej and I have gone there a few times. I think it will be perfect."

"And what happens, when you, say, set the trees or forest on fire?" PJ asks, and Chris looks a little guilty for a split second.

"I'm good enough to control them. Enlarge or make  them smaller. Besides, Phil will  be there. With a whole body of water at his command. Also, we can make a perimeter. The grounds mostly just dirt and rock, so all we need to do is worry about the trees. If we keep ourselves contained it shouldn't be a problem. You can, like, have my word on it."

"Not like that actually means anything," Dan jokes and Chris throws a stick at him.

"Shut up, it will."

Most of Dan really wants to agree. 

-

Walking through a forest filled with rocks and an excessive amount of tree was definitely not on Dan's to do list. Exercise has never been his forte, but he can swear that he has tripped over way too many times for this to even cross the lines of being even remotely fun, regardless of the fact he hates it.

"Almost there," PJ comments and the words are like music to Dan's ears. All he wants to do is plunk himself down on a patch of ground that isn't covered in dirt and rest for eternity. 

Eye wide, Dan takes a look at his surroundings as they finally arrive. If he's honest, it is sort of beautiful. The creek is relatively shallow, little pebbles and different sized rocks are sticking out. There is a small bridge in the middle, just enough to walk over and continue along the trail. There appears to be a narrower bit, but possibly deep enough to swim in. The rest of the area is pretty as well. Tall trees providing cover, and a relatively large area in the middle void of trees. Just as Chris has previously described. 

He can hear birds chirping, and it almost feels like the serenity of the place was worth the hike.

"How did he find this place?" Dan asks, because he doubts many people actually know of it.

"My parents used to take me here as a child," Chris admits. "We used to have picnics all the time in the summer. Not many people even come here. There’s lots of trees for cover to. If PJ is alert, he should be able to sense anyone before they get close."

"So you've taken PJ here before too?" Phil asks. 

"It's an amazing date spot. Gets all the boys," Chris jokes and Phil lets out a small laugh. 

"Right," Dan insists, "I'm sure it does."  

Chris picks up a stone, lobbing it across the area until it lands in the creek with a plop. "Or at least it did with PJ. Same thing." 

Dan takes another glance, and yeah, maybe it’s a bit of a copy, but he can imagine it would be even more beautiful in the summer. And that it would be the perfect spot of a picnic and a date. Something he's sure Phil would probably also enjoy. Although they'd have to avoid telling Chris. He can already hear the flaunting from miles away. 

"So what now?" Phil asks. Chris takes a few steps away and into the open area, until he is several meters away from everybody else. 

"Now, we practice!" Chris exclaims, a little too enthusiastically. 

"Dan and I will wait over near the patch if trees on the side line, I suppose," PJ comments, and he takes a few steps backwards until there is a good distance between himself, Dan, and Phil. 

Phil looks a little nervous. Biting his lip, he nods his head.

"You'll be fine," Dan assures, and he believes it. Chris wouldn't be doing anything he didn't think that the other male couldn't handle. He quickly takes Phil's hand, giving it a small squeeze in reassurance and pulling away, until he is beside PJ. 

Suddenly Phil's stances shifts, his arms raised at his side. Dan glances over at the water, as a small amount rises from the rest and hovers in the air. Phil twists his arm, and the water moves, swirling towards him rather quickly. It's almost impossible for Dan to watch. It continues to move, a long semi straight blob, circling around his body once before winding around his arm and rest centimeters above the skin. 

He glances up towards Chris, whose face is completely different from Phil's own concentrated one. Chris' has had a lot more time to control, and it shows. Fists closes, flames have completely covered both his hands. They glow brightly, almost reaching his mid arm in vibrant orange. It amazes Dan, as the flames rest millimeters above skin as to how it doesn't  burn him.  But nothing about any of them is entirely logical. 

"Ready?" Chris asks, and Phil nods in confirmation. "I'm going to throw some at you, and you need to block it, okay?"

Dan watches, hesitance and excitement filling him up all at once as Chris takes a step forwards, his arm swinging as though he is going to punch. The fire reacts, following his movement swiftly and extending forward, aiming straight towards Phil. 

Phil reacts, one leg stepping back and his arms raising in front of him, palms open. The water follows, moving forward and together into one round circular blob in front of him. The fire hits it, making a loud hissing noise as the water almost consumes it and it seems to evaporate, the fire disappearing completely. 

They both stand there for a moment, before Phil moves the water back, a mix between surprise and a grin on his face. Chris' reflects his expression and gives a short laugh, fire once again lingering on his palm. Phil realises, and suddenly a larger ward of water passes over, makes its way over from the creek, quicker then before. It splits into thirds, long strips circling around his entire body in fluent motion. 

Chris tries once again, this time throwing more then just once punch. Fire balls make their way over, two hits spiraling towards Phil. He reacts again, almost on instinct it would appear, and two of the waves of water push their way forward, meeting the fire and canceling each other out once again. 

The third stays, before Phil moves his hand forward, the water following at a high speed and heading straight towards Chris. He notices, both hands moving up from their former place its side and blocking just above his face in a crossing motion. The fire flies forward, flaring out from both his arms and blocking the on coming water. 

Chris glances at Phil, slightly surprised at his sudden boldness. But he  reciprocates, instead forcing a bit more power into his attacks before. He pushes his arms  forward, away from their crossed  motion. The fire blazes brightly, strong oranges, reds and blues pushing forward with a heavy amount of force. It combines, the two separate fires combining onto a much larger one and heading straight towards Phil. 

Dan physically flinches, and suddenly, a large word of water is suddenly around Phil. Creating a perfect orb around his body. It hardens, freezing suddenly until it is nothing but ice. The fire hits it, crackling intensely as it disperses, flying outwards and around the orb in separate directions before dispersing entirely.  

The remaining water falls down, wetting the ground as it lands upon the dirt in its no longer frozen form. 

"Holy crap," Dan breathes. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but this definitely wasn't it. 

"Did you see that ?" Chris asks, his voice filled with awe and wonder. "That was in-fucking-credible."

Phil stands there, blinking rapidly as though he can hardly believe what just happened.  

"Did you know you could  do that, Phil?" PJ asks, sounding  just as amazed as everyone else. 

Shaking his head, Phil responds. "Uh, no, not at all, actually. It just kind of happened."

Dan just continues to stare in awe, like he isn't used to the semi-impossible happening, except he feels that maybe by now, he probably should. 

"That's something I  need to try."  Chris says, and Dan cringes. "An orb of fire? That'd be amazing." 

That is definitely not something he should try in the middle of the forest. Apparently, that doesn't seem to stop him.


	23. Spark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit late. I thought I'd put it up now in-case I don't have enough time to get another chapter up in three days. At least you have something for now. 
> 
> I've also written a prequel for Ethereal, surrounding Chris and PJ and how they discovered their abilities. Chris' is called Ignite, and PJ's is called Miasma. Check them out if you would like!  
> If you have any prompts for one shot ideas based on ethereal, feel free to leave a comment, and if I can work with it, I will!
> 
> Oh, and I appologise for this chapter in advance. Whooops.
> 
> Also, Microsoft word died on me so i've been using word online, and sometimes when I trasfer the file to here it puts spaces in random places and screws up things. So i'm sorry. I'll fix things up now.  
> Edit: I CANT FIX IT! For some reason it keep adding more random spaces in when I delete others. So i'm sorry, I'm trying to fix it as much as I can.

Chris' somewhat excited  face is the first thing Dan is greeted with in the morning. He sets his books down in his usual way, and doesn't even make it to the count of five before Chris speaks. 

"I think we should go again tonight." Chris admits, shifting his hair out of his face. "The other night went down really well, and I still haven't gotten the hang of that orb thing yet. And I really want to get it. Like, a fucking lot. "

"Phil doesn't know how he did it, so technically  he can't really teach you." Dan replies, pulling out his things and getting them organised before the teacher comes in. 

"Yeah but I still saw how he did it. I bet I could, too. It's sort of the same concept for both of us. " 

Dan grins, "remember that time where you almost lit your hair on fire by trying to ignite your whole body?"

Chris rolls his eyes. "Unfortunately, PJ still reminds me about it on a regular basis, the bastard. And it didn't even really happen. It was more of a...singe."

"I feel like this time, you might actuallyloose your hair."

Scoffing, Chris shrugs. "It'd be worth it. Maybe. Probably."

I image of a bold, patchy, hairless Chris enters his mind and Dan grimaces. "Uh, probably not."

Once again Chris fidgets with his hair, the sight obviously plaguing his mind as much as Dan's own. "Yeah, probably not. But I didn't set the for est on fire this time so, I count that as a win."

Dan looks at him questionably, like the words finally clicked. "What do you mean, this time?"

"Uh," Chris mums, a hand rubbing the back of his neck as he looks a little nervous. "It was like, one time. And it was small. I swear. Barely counts as a fire. Mostly just a little bit of smoke. "

Dan continues to look at him, as though he doesn't completely believe him.

Chris groans. "Okay like, it was when Peej and I started dating, so, like forever and five years ago now. And we may have been getting a little hot and heavy and I uh, might of gotten a bit too excited and I may have accidently set the bush on fire." 

Letting out a snort, Dan overs his face in an attempt to stop himself from bursting out laughing. The picture is only a little bit disturbing, but a lot hilarious. The teacher has just started the class, and he doesn't want to get called out already for making a scene. Although, it might be worth it just this once. 

"It was a small bush!" Chris exclaims, as though it offers some sort of solace.

"How did you manage to accidently set a bush on fire?"

"I mean, I don't know. I just, uh, got caught up in the moment?"

Dan purses his lips, still attempting to stop himself from laughing. Nodding his head, but not in understanding. Somehow Chris knows that he means it rather sarcastically. 

"Don't act like you've never done something like that with Phil."

Shrugging Dan nods, because yeah, he did do something, and so it Phil. But nothing compares to what Chris did. "Floating leaves don't exactly count the same way, of anything mine was kind of  romantic.  where as you on the other hand, could have killed countless baby animals and their homes. The whole forest, really. Not to mention yourself and  Peej . "

"Oh haha." Chris says, but it looks like that thought had never crossed his mind until Dan jokingly mentioned it. "It was a small, fire. Like smoke. Practically non existent. Not the great fire of London."

"But it could have been," Dan's not going to lie, he's having way too much fun with this. 

"Moving on." Chris says pointedly. "Are you in for tonight? Say yes."

Dan can't help but smile at his friends consistent behavior. "It's not me you'll have to convince. Phil promised me a movie date night, and I'm rather fond of the idea."

Chris tisks, "you'd throw off an amazing night with me and Peej for a make out sesh? I'm appalled."

Blushing, Dan rolls with it. 

"Yep."

Chris gives a small incline of his head, although he is thinking things over. "Actually, can't say I blame you. I probably would too." 

-

"How many times did Chris ask you to practice today?" Dan asks, walking down their familiar path towards Phil's home. 

"I lost count, honestly," Phil admits. "I had to turn my  I pod  on during class  just to  block it out. God, how does PJ do it."

Dan laughs, a hand brushing Phil's as they step in sink. "I'd say with great difficulty, but, after this long I'm not so sure. I think PJ has Chris figured out to a T. He could make Chris do anything if he really wanted."

Phil suddenly looks very optimistic. "Do you reckon he could teach us how? Ya  know, minus the mood control. I don’t think I could master that one. "

"I have a feeling it's a lot less to do with powers and a lot more to do with other abilities ."

Mocking surprise, Phil responds. "What exactly are you implying, Daniel?"

Dan raises his eyebrows, never have hearing his full name fall from Phil's lips before. For some reason it sends a small shiver up his spine. "That we never get to the same level with Chris. Ever."

Phil laughs, clasping his hand around Dan when they brush against each other once more. "I'm not going to argue."

He feels Phil plant a light kiss on his cheek, and Dan smiles. It seems like a life time ago when Phil wasn't in his life. The thought carries with him until they reach his boyfriends houses, their hands no longer being entwined and he immediately misses their warmth. 

"So, I'm feeling milkshakes this afternoon," He says as he opens the front door. "Mum bought some caramel topping and I'm pretty sure if we mix that with a packet of maltsters it will make the ultimate combination."

"Ultimate combination of a heart attack and diabetes, maybe" Dan teases, and Phil just shoots his tongue out that him.  "But it also sounds delicious, so I think I'm going to take that risk."

Phil lets out a small humming noise, making a bee line for the ingredients. Dan watches him curiously, a soft smile on his face as he watches his boyfriend set up, and open the pack of  malteasers, stealing a few out of the packet and popping them into his mouth. He makes himself comfortable, pushing himself up and into the bench, legs dangling above the floor as he watches the other male with a small sense of fondness .

"Dan?" Phil asks, pouring some of the caramel sauce into the bottom of the blender. "Do you think you could pass me the milk?"

"Yeah," he replies, and he bites his lip. He could get off the counter a nd take his eyes away from his boy friend, or he could do something a lot more convenient.Opting for the later option Dan's eyes move monetarily to the fridge. The doors swings open with ease, and the milk moves from its place on the shelf, as though someone was actually holding it, and floats over to the counter top. Dan does stop, instead the lip screws off, and hovers in front of Phil momentarily, before it begins to pour itself in. 

"Oh," Phil lets out a sound, glancing at Dan with a smile. He teases, "I thought you didn't use your powers for trivial things?" 

Dan shrugs, grinning right back. "Yeah well, somethings can't hurt right?"

Phil steps back and the milk is places back down. The lid moving towards the top of the blender and securing itself tightly. The knob turns by itself, blending the ingredients together for a few seconds until the items  are combined. Turning Phil takes a few strides towards Dan, situating  himself between Dan's legs.

He closes the distance between them, pulling Dan into a kiss as their lips crash together. 

When he pulls back, Dan is a little out of breath. A dazed  smile on his lips and he raises an eyebrow. "What was that for?"

Phil rests his hands on either side of Dan's thighs. "I just sort of like you. A lot. " 

"Hmm, well, maybe you should demonstrate that again?" Dan questions, and Phil happily obliges, sealing his lips against Dan's own once more. 

Dan pull's Phil closer, legs wrapping around his boyfriends thighs securely. 

Phil's hands land on Dan's hip, slightly exposed by his top, and Dan can't help but smile against his lips as he notices the lack of cold. 

As Phil pulls away, Dan only lets out a breathless, "again?" before their back for more, hands wondering and tongues swirling. 

The lock in the door almost goes un-noticed, and it's on until a familiar voice rings out that Dan and Phil part, as a set on footsteps make their way closer. 

"Phil?" 

Pulling apart at the sound, Dan unwinds his legs, Phil taking a few steps backwards and providing a bit more space between them.

"In the kitchen, mum!"  His voice is a little breathless, but his mother doesn't seem to notice as she enters the kitchen. 

"Oh hello, Dan." She greets, smiling at the brunette as she notices him. Dan smiles back, letting off a small wave in response. "Hi,  M rs. Lester."

"You're home early," Phil comments.  She looks back at Phil, before walking over and placing her bag down on the counter. He gives Dan a look of relief, as he has her back turned. 

"I had a meeting that finished early today." She comments, still looking towards Phil. "Honestly, Phillip, your hair is a mess."

Dan can't help the small cackle of laugher that rises to his lips. Sealing them in a tight line, he attempts to contain himself as a blush rises onto Phil's cheeks. 

"Uh, yeah. We mere making milkshakes." Dan averts his eyes, not able  to contain  himself as Phil attempts an explanation . Phil fi gets  with his hair, pushing it back into place and Phil's mum just smiles,   somehow managing  to believe an excuse that doesn't actually answer anything . 

"Don't fill up too much, you won't have room for dinner." She turns to the fridge, puling out a few things and placing them on the spare benchtop. "Will you be joining us for tea tonight Dan?"

"If you wouldn't mind ," Dan answers, and Phil's mum shakes her head in response.

"Not at all, of course you are welcome anytime." She responds.

Phil moves from his place, milkshakes in hand as she moves towards the door. "We'll be in the lounge," he responds, and his mum lets at a " no worries" as they both head off. 

As soon as Dan is out of ear shot he finally lets out the laugh he somehow managed to hold in. 

Phil groans, placing the milkshakes down on the coffee table and flopping  onto the couch. 

"Your hair is still a little messy, Phillip," Dan snickers, and Phil gives him a look. Managing to look embarrassed, guilty and humorous all at the same time.

"Shut up," He says, seriousness lasting for all of two seconds before he laughs as well. "Whose fault is that?"

"Guilty," Dan murmurs, placing himself next to Phil on the sofa. He leans in closely, resting against Phil's side as the other reaches forward and turns the re mote on. "I'm also not sorry, in the slightest."

Phil wacks him lightly. "Yeah, well, next time it's happening at your house. And your family can be the one to almost walk in. " 

 Dan laughs again, pulling his legs up and stretching them out across Phil. 

"I'm feeling some Easy A, to be honest." 

"Pretty unromantic for a date night if you ask me," Dan jokes.

"Please, it's got fake sex, teen drama and Emma stone. I don't know what could be better, to be honest." 

"Well Emma Stone is pretty hot."

Phil squats his hands at Dan's legs, in an attempt to shove them off. 

"I need to be able to move in order to put the movie on," Phil says, flicking the brunettes knee once in demonstration. 

"Yeah, well. What if I don't want to move. I'm rather comfortable." Dan teases, dimples showing. 

"Maybe I might have too-"

Knocking silences Phil, several quick loud taps. Phil looks at Dan and towards the door, the knocking starting suddenly at a more frequent pace. Dan moves his legs, and they both stand up, hesitating slightly. 

"Phil?!" 

PJ's voice rings out, loud and high pitched. It takes less then two seconds before Phil is at the door, Dan right behind him. He opens the door, the fly wires screen already being held open by PJ himself. 

"Peej." Dan's breath catches in his throat. PJ's calm and usual demeanor is broken. His face is stoke white, stress and worry evidently written across his face. His hair is a mess, as though he ran his hands though it to many times. A sense of dread fills Dan. Rushing over him quicker then it ever has before. 

"I can't find Chris," PJ's voice is shaky, as though he struggles to say the words. Then they all come out at once, rushed and frightened. "He was meant to come to my house after school. And he said he needed to get something from his house and he'd be right back, 20 minutes tops, and he -I can't get a hold of him."

Dan doesn't think he can breath. 

PJ 's voice cracks.

"He's taken Chris." 


	24. Shatter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter has taken so long. But it is finally here! Although I promise nothing. Also, I’m going to try change my schedule/ kind of kill it. I’m back at uni, and Wednesdays are my long ass days, so I’m going to be uploading on weekends now. But I can’t promise it will be every weekend. But I will try :)
> 
> Also we only have a few (maybe five/six?? I still have to completely plan it out) chapters left. Holy crap. 
> 
> Please enjoy that chapter. And don’t kill me. Because an author can not finish their story if they are dead C:

Time seems to freeze. Dan feels hot and cold all at once, coursing through his bodyas his heart rate picks up speed. Denial rushes upwards, just as quickly as the sick feeling in his stomach. He can’t believe what PJ had just said. But the words refuse to leave, haunting him. He wants to crumble to the floor and scream all at the same time. His best friend has been taken. 

None of them move. A silence filling the space, and it’s almost as though no one can breathe. PJ looks pale, almost sickly. And Dan can see his eye watering, hands clenching at his side tightly. He can’t even begin to imagine the thoughts that are running through his head. Chris was Dan’s best friends, but he was so much more to PJ.

Phil’s the first to speak up, his voice slightly shaky and timid, as though speaking will shatter everyone in the room. "Maybe he got away too. I mean - I did. We don't...we don't know for sure."

There is a small glimmer of hope that sparks in Dan as he hears his words. But it’s diluted, shaken and it dissipates as soon as the words fully process. There is practically a zero chance, there isn’t another reason as to why Chris wouldn’t have come back.

PJ doesn’t say anything, and Dan doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know how to console or comfort his best friend, when he is falling apart himself.  
"We have to find him." PJ says, and although his voice sounds lost and broken, there is determination. 

"Okay." Dan replies, and he takes one step forward, grabbing his coat from the aide and shoving it on. "We'll search some streets and re-trace his steps. We know the route from his house to yours. And we...we'll find out. We'll find him. Peej, I promise."

PJ refuses to look, just nodding his head and making his way back out the door. Dan can’t blame him. The small voice whispers in his head. Because that’s a lie. He can’t promise something like that. Not when there's a chance that he won’t be able to fulfill that promise. Not when there is a chance that they won’t be able to find Chris.

-

It’s starting to get dark. Dan’s fingers are tingling a little from the cold. It only processes for a moment though, before determination out plays any other feeling. He wants nothing more than to spot that familiar mop of brown hair and matching eyes. He wants to be able to throw a thousand insults at Chris and wack him senseless for causing so much worry. He wants it to be some sick twisted joke that his best friend played on him. But he knows. He knows that Chris would never do that. 

But a small part of him still hopes. 

"Dan?" Phil’s voice rings out. The black haired male stops on his tracks. Right behind PJ, who seems to be frozen on the spot. He takes two more steps forward. His mind reeling and he's unable to process his exact emotions for a short moment. 

He peers down, his eyes following the point that everyone else is pin pointed to.  
"Is that...?" Phil is unable to finish his sentence, and Dan can see his Adams apple move as he gulps.

The black marks are charred into the ground. Singed and wide spread in a big circle along the pavement. It spreads out, almost as though it skidded along the ground. Staining the concrete with its intense heat. There are a few smaller ones, wide spread, and almost littered, like they spanned out and littered the ground.

Dan can feel himself crack. His bubble of denial suddenly shattered.   
There is no mistaking it. No other possible way that those burn marks could have suddenly appeared in the pavement in perfect symmetry. 

No other way, except for Chris.

And he knows. 

That Chris, has really been taken. 

He watches in slow motion as PJ sinks to his knees, flopping against the floor. He stares at the marks in front of him. One hand hovering for a moment before it drops to the other side of his body. 

It takes less than a second before Dan is at his side, arms reaching out and pulling him into a hug. He pulls him close, arms gripping him tighter than ever before. Waiting for the gates to open and the sobs to come. 

PJ stays silent. Arms draped by his side.

And for a split second, Dan feels like his friend just died on the inside. 

-

PJ doesn’t say anything for the remainder of the night, he lets himself into Dan’s guest bedroom, before allowing the covers to swallow him whole. 

Dan waits by the door, only leaving when Phil gives tugs at his hand. 

He sits on his bed, thoughts hollow and numbness surrounding his entire body. He doesn’t know how to feel. It’s like the information is there, stuck on a loop and unable to process. They don’t know where to start, or what to do. How to find Chris. 

There is a tiny voice in the back of his mind that whispers. And he refuses to acknowledge it. 

"Phil?" Dan questions, his voice almost a whisper. And the other male is by his side instantly. Wrapping a hand around his waist and pulling him closely. Dan doesn’t hesitate, his head finding a place in the crook of his neck. Clenching opposite sides of Phil's top for dear life. 

Dan's not even aware he’s crying at first. The water falls out of his eyes, dampening Phil’s t-shirt. He lets out a strangled sob, chocked and muffled. That’s all it takes, realisation washing over him as quickly as his tears. 

Phil pulls him closer, his whole body shifting until his arms are sufficiently wrapped tightly around the younger males body. Dan shakes, trembling and it's like Phil can never be closer enough. He pushes against him, almost impossibly close, and he wishes that Phil could just swallow him whole.

His breathing is hitched, coming out in a mix of wheezes and sobs. The air feels crushing, like he has too much and not enough all at once. 

He can vaguely hear Phil whispering words of comfort. But nothing works, it’s like an echo or distant memory. Unable to fully process. And so he grips tighter. Holding on for dear life, as though Phil is the only one that can save him from drowning. 

The last thing he remembers before he falls into a restless sleep, is the shaking of Phil’s shoulders. 

  
-

The next day is no better, and although Dan would normally revel in the fact that he’s able to wake up in Phil’s arm, the shaky feeling of loss and worry is the first thing he feels when he wakes up.

“Phil?” He mumbles, nudging him slightly. Phil moves, his blue eyes opening and trying to focus without his glasses. “We’ve got to get up. I’ll go check on PJ.”

Phil frowns more a moment, sleep still fogging his memory. But his eyes go wide and he nods, suddenly remembering the previous day’s events and all the horror it had in store. He detaches himself from Dan, pulling himself up and rummaging through Dan’s wardrobe to borrow some clothes.

Dan wastes no time, walking over to the spare bedroom rather hastily.

He opens the door cautiously, his sudden rush ending. He doesn’t know what to expect. What state his other best friend could be in. “Peej?” Dan questions, peeking around into the room rather cautiously.

PJ doesn’t respond. His eyes are littered with black bags, the first indication of lack of sleep. He sits up right on the bed, his back not quite touching the wall but close enough that if he leaned back it would. He glances up at Dan, his gaze glassy and Dan can feel it. The sense of brokenness and longing practically radiates off him.

“We’re going back out to find Chris.”

The fact that it’s technically a school day doesn’t even phase them. Not when their best friend is missing. Not when they don’t know what happened to him. A thought that Dan refuses to put much thought into.

“I’ve tried to sense him, but I can’t.” PJ mumbles, his voice soft and low, almost shallow and broken. Dan doesn’t even need to guess that he stayed up the whole night crying. The bloodshot look in PJ’s eyes is more than enough indication.

“I tried to find his aura, sense it, see it but, it’s nowhere around here, Dan, what if-“

Dan cuts him off before he even has time to finish, quickly scrambling towards the bed and sitting opposite his friend.

“We’ll look elsewhere,” he consoles, “we’ll find him, Peej. You know what Chris’ aura is like, and that mark the other guys leaves, we’ll find him, okay?”

He questions it, for a moment. Exactly what PJ meant when he said he’d searched for his aura. Sure, he could sense them, feel them and see them, but usually he needed to be looking at the person for that to occur. He pushes the thought away, much like the countless other he has had to within the past 24 hours. They are wasting time.

“Get dressed, we’ll leave in five.”

By the time Dan makes his way back to his room, Phil is dressed and ready. Looking more alert and awake then he has ever been at such an hour in the morning.

“Is he okay?” Phil asks, and it’s a pointless question. They both know that everyone is far from that right now. In all honesty, none of them are even remotely close.

He shakes his head instead of responding. Digging though his draws to find a clean T-shirt and replacing his Pyjama top with it.

“I’ll go see if PJ is ready.” Phil says, and he wanders out, leaving Dan to try and pointedly ignore the impending sense of terror that keeps threatening to overcome his emotions.  

He gets dressed at some sort of lightning speed, shoving different pants on and not even changing his boxers, because he has far more important things to do right now.  He hears the others wander past his room and towards the front door, and Dan is down the steps quicker than he has ever been at such an early hour in the morning.

Phil and PJ are waiting by the door, and he can tell by his friends sagged shoulders and Phil’s slight fidgeting from foot to foot that they are both nervous. Their looks match in angst and worry, although Dan knows that it must be taking a lot of effort for PJ to hold back his emotions. Without the level of control he’s providing, Dan thinks he’d be on the floor in hysterics.

“Where first?”

Phil asks the question, and sudden silence surrounds them.

Dan grimaces, he didn’t think this far ahead. His thought process only involved  _find Chris at all costs_  that he didn’t even have time to realise that they have no clues and literally no-where to look.

“Uh,” me mumbles, and looks around. “I don’t...maybe we should go back to where…where the marks were?”

_Where Chris was taken_. He can’t say that. No, it’s admitting something that he doesn’t want to be real. And he knows, hearing those words being said again would shatter the remaining hope PJ is clinging too.

“Yeah,” Phil agrees, and Dan knows it’s only be they all have no clue. PJ nods, remaining rather impassive.

Setting out the door and into the cold, Phil braces himself, looking behind him to check as PJ and Dan both follow. Dan does the same, the cold eating at them quickly. It’s not rain, but knowing their luck it will. And it will make everything just that much harder. As though it wasn’t already hard enough.

They walk down the pathway, in a similar fashion to the other day. Dan makes a barrier, a mental note to prepare himself. Maybe going there isn’t the best idea. Not when everything is so fresh and raw and unknown.

The back of Phil’s hand brushes against his momentarily. Dan knows he isn’t in this alone. That the fear is real among all of them. The fact that they have nothing to go off clings in all their minds. How long can this be kept under the rug?

If they don’t find Chris, what are they going to do? What are his parents going to do, when they realised they lied to them? That Chris didn’t stay the night. Dan almost forgets how to breathe. Fear threatening to overtake him.

They are almost there, and each step is quick, yet it seems like it takes all of eternity. Slow and fast at the same time, completely impossibly so.

The chime of a phone rings, shill and loud and pulling down out of his thoughts. 

He looks over at PJ, who eyes are wide as he stares down at the phone. His grips the phone, so tightly that is knuckles turn white, and after a moment of blinking uncertainly, presses the answer button quicker than ever before and he all but whispers in disbelief.

“Chris?”

And this time, Dan really doesn’t think he remembers how to breathe.


	25. With Bits And Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been away for a bit, sorry about that. But as we get closer to the end, I need to make sure I've got things right! I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Thanks for reading!   
> (And i'm sorry for all the cliff hanger whoops.)

Dan’s never moved so fast in his life. His heart is pounding in his chest and his breathing is erratic, mixing between deep and shallow and all he knows is that he has to keep moving, he has to keep going.

PJ is in front of him, practically jogging the familiar pathway, and everything seems like a blur, a single target in mind, because once he sees it, he’ll know for certain.

He doesn’t know how long it takes him, but suddenly they are there. And Dan jerks to a sudden stop, almost colliding into PJ as the other male also comes to an abrupt halt.

Dan’s eyes widen, trailing over the familiar figure before him, breath caught in his throat.

“Miss me?”

Chris’ voice is as cocky as ever, but Dan can hear the undertone of so much more. It’s a little croaky, and Dan has a million guesses as to why. But he knows Chris, knows his best friend and he’s sure it has everything to do with being able to see them again.

Chris pushes himself up, moving from his previous sitting position at the base of PJ’s house steps and stands upwards.

Dan doesn’t blink, he doesn’t move and neither does anyone for a good moment. There should be relief, but he is too filled with shock to even process any other emotion. His eyes trace over Chris’ face, as though he is unable to process it fully. His eyes are drawn to a particular spot, and once they find it, he can’t drag his eyes away.

A nasty set of yellow and blue bruising is on the right-hand side of his temple, large and painful. Dan lets out an uneven breath, like the air somehow managed to escape from his lungs without him wanting it to. The pathway flashes into his mind, the burnt charred parts of the pavement, and the situations which must have happened during that moment that managed to cause such a nasty bruise on his head. 

Chris opens his mouth, as though he is going to say something again. He doesn’t have time to however, because PJ takes one large step forward and pauses before he all but runs up to Chris and pulls him into his arms.

It doesn’t take long before Chris’ face is buried in PJ’s chest, and there are unshed tears in both of their eyes. And as much as Dan wants to go over and pull his best friend into a well-deserved hug and make some smart ass rhetorical mark, he can’t bring himself to ruin their moment.

Instead, he takes Phil’s hand, giving it a squeeze.

His heart almost melts as Phil squeezes back.

-

The air seems crisper and cooler as they enter PJ’s house. Like the adrenalin and shock factor has completely left Dan’s body.  He feels a bit drained, like he hadn’t just woken up half an hour ago. Like he’s just worked a full day and wants nothing more than to collapse into his bed in exhaustion.

There is another part of him though, one that’s torn and mixed between relief and worry. The air is still rather tense. Despite the fact that Chris is back within reach. They are almost treading on egg shells, wanting to bring it up and avoid the topic all at once.

They make their way into the lounge, and Chris is the first to find a seat. Putting himself on the far right-hand side of the sofa, he picks himself up, legs against his chest. And that’s the first sort of warning sign that appears in Dan’s head. The fact that normally Chris is more than willing to sprawl out, have his legs dangle off the end of the couch and hog as much room as possible.

Everyone makes their way back down, and it’s quiet, which has been a far too frequent occurrence lately.

PJ plants himself next to Chris, close but not extremely close either. Just enough to provide comfort and warmth and far enough to give Chris the space that everyone is sure he needs.

Dan follows in suit, sitting on the couch opposite the coffee table in the middle, providing a gap between the couches.

“I’ve never had anyone hang on my words as much as you are all doing right now,” Chris laughs but somehow it doesn’t fix the tension in that air. His humour falls on pairs of deaf ears, but Dan tries to chuck him a small smile momentarily.

“Yeah well, I suppose you always liked to cause a commotion.” Dan responds with, and he notices Chris relax a little, like the pressure somehow shifted for a second.

There is another small silence, before Chris decides to jump right in. “They didn’t do anything. I mean, not really.”

It’s like a sign of relief and a sharp stab all at once as the words leave Chris’ mouth.

Then everyone speaks at the same time, questions being asked  simultaneously.

“What do you mean _they_?” Phil asks, his eyes a little wide. PJ’s question is just as concerning but more of an echo. “Not really?”

Chris looks a little bit like a deer caught in headlights, but if Dan’s being honest, he is pretty sure they all reflect the same expression. Questions are stuck on the edge of his tongue.

“That guy, the one that keeps messing with Dan. He’s not exactly the same as we thought. Although, I mean, he still kind of is. But I’m pretty sure his abilities are a little different to what we first assumed. And he’s well…I don’t want to use the word leader, because that’s really fucking cliché. But there was a few of them in this small group and I’m pretty sure he runs it.”

Chris pauses, allowing everyone to try and take in the information before he continues. A million more questions run though Dan’s head. Panic and alarm are going off everywhere. He’s pretty sure his eyes are now worse than Phil’s were, wide and in some state of disbelief.

“Leader? Leader of _what?”_ PJ asks, and yeah, Dan’s pretty sure that’s the most pressing question of them all right now.

Ignoring the next round of questions, Chris continues. “When I was making my way back from my house to PJ’s they kind of appeared out of nowhere. I didn’t take any notice at first, because it wasn’t the guy that Dan had been describing. It was a girl and a guy, they looked to be fairly young too. Maybe nineteen or twenty. Just a bit older then us I think. But they caught up to me, and I realised something was up. I dunno, something wasn’t sitting right, so I tried to bolt. Only, I hit this sort of invisible wall.”

Dan gulps, a small breath involuntarily leaving.

“And as I turned around the other guy was there too. I tried to get them, make a heap of flames before they could get to me. But as I did that everything went a little hazy, I was panicking, because there were three of them and only one of me. I don’t- I don’t really remember what else happened. But when I woke up I head a massive headache and this ridiculous bruise.”

Chris starts fidgeting with something in his pocket. All eyes follow his movements, and then he pulls out a slightly crumpled piece of paper, that looks like it has been folded over again too many times. Dan can picture the situation unfolding. Chris crumpling onto the ground before he gets a real chance to defend himself. Head banging against the concrete, but not enough to leave any blood.

“What’s that?” Phil asks, and Chris grimaces.

“I think it’s an invitation.”

Dan blinks, and everyone seems a little lost for words.

“A what?” Dan all but splutters.

Chris unfolds it, placing it on the coffee table before them. The moment he puts it down, PJ picks it up, reading it over quickly, his face turning into a frown as his eyes read down the page.

“He’s right,” PJ mumbles and both Phil and Dan’s face morph into confusion.

“An invitation to what?”

“An invitation to join _them_.”

 A stunned stillness settles upon them. All that can be heard is the deep breaths of everyone in the room. It takes Dan more than a moment to soak up the information.”

“I don’t, I just. What.”

Chris shakes his head. “I didn’t get to talk to them, I mean not really. It was weird…I mean I think I remember that guy speaking, but like in my dream. I don’t really remember what happened. When I woke up I was alone in an empty apartment on the other side of town. It was really fucking weird. I was so freaked out I just left as quickly as I could. When I arrived at PJ’s I realised that you weren’t here. And I still had my phone in my pocket so I rang, and well, this led us to the shit storm that we are in.”

Dan urges for more information. None of this really makes any sense. “Why did they take you? What does that prove? Why can’t they just fucking talk to us instead of screwing with our minds and _kidnapping someone_?”

Phil shifts in his seat uncomfortably.

“I don’t, I mean, it’s only a theory,” PJ pipes up, his eyes still locked on the letter. “But I think that either is a test, or, it’s a point.”

That doesn’t sit well with anyone.

“If Chris can’t defend himself, what hope do the rest of us have? Or our families? They have nothing to defend themselves with either.”  

Dan almost falls off his seat, a sudden shock rippling through his body. His family never really crossed his mind until now. But it’s right there. There are four separate reasons in this room for everyone to be afraid.

“They, I mean, they could have done that by now though, right?”  Phil mumbles, and Dan bites his lip as PJ responds.

“Maybe, I mean. I don’t know. It would have been easy, but I sort of feel like that would give the wrong impression.”

“The wrath of four fucking teenage boys with superpowers knocking at their doorstep would give a wrong sort of impression,” Chris comments. And Dan takes a deep breath, the thought had been the furthest from his mind.

“So what, they don’t want to fight?” Dan asks, “is that what you are saying?”

Chris shrugs. “I mean, maybe. They had plenty of chances. If they wanted to take us out they could have probably done it before we even knew they existed. They could have left me on the side walk and finished me off without a second thought.”

The words don’t sit quite right with Dan. But it’s also true. They had plenty of opportunities, why not take them? Why mess around with him? Why leave a note for Chris and everyone else?

“Yeah well, if they wanted to talk, this isn’t exactly the best way to go about it,” Dan mutters.

“A-fucking-men,” Chris agrees, his head flopping backwards and resting on the back of the couch. PJ gives him a sympathetic look, and places a hand on his thigh.

“So, that still leaves the same question.” Phil states and Dan inwardly shudders. He knows exactly what Phil is going to ask, and Dan isn’t sure he is going to like the answer. “Are we going to go?”

The words linger heavily in the air. Chris’ head shooting back up much quicker than he had laid it to rest.

“Do we really have a choice?” PJ says his voice low and almost in a whisper. Like he doesn’t want to say them out loud, but has no other choice.

“Sure we do.” Chris laughs. “We go, and we face whatever fucked up cultist thing they are going to try to convince us to join, or we don’t go, and suffer whatever consequences that they deem appropriate.”

Dan wants to say that it might not be true. That they might have all just gotten on the wrong foot and this is a good chance to talk to them. Maybe they have more answers surrounding their powers. This is the first time they have met anyone other than their group with abilities. It could be a good chance.

Except deep down, he knows that it’s not.

“How long do we have to decide?” Phil asks.

PJ looks back down at the piece of paper. “About three days.”

And just like that, Dan knows that these three days will probably be the most important of his entire life.


	26. You're Everything (To Me)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter is finally here (and long await for). God i hope you enjoy it. I spent like three nights trying to get this right (so I hope I lived up to whatever expectations everyone had). 
> 
> Enjoy! (seriously i hope you do).

The weight of the situation is heavy, and if seems like almost a life time ago when everything seemed so carefree and easy. It feels as though Dan has aged almost ten years from stress and worry. The situation is pressing against them, and they need to make a decision. None of them have yet, it’s just sitting unspoken, lingering in the air. They should discuss it, they need to, but the finality of it all is a reality none of them are ready to face just yet.

Dan bites his lip, he has run a hand through his hair so many times since yesterday that it’s sticking up in all directions. Phil sits across from him, books given up in a pile on the floor. They’d tried studying, as a distraction and a way to make up for missing a second day of school, but it all ended in long periods of silence and words morphing together into a page until they made no sense.

And Dan can’t really think. Not when he has a million thoughts running around in his head. He’s worried about himself, he’s worried about his friends and his family, and most importantly, he’s worried about Phil. Phil who was dragged into his whole mess because Dan somehow managed to screw up. Dan who let his abilities seep through the cracks. Who allowed leaves to float when they locked lips for the first time and how many other screw ups he’d made in public, and god he was so _stupid._

“What are you thinking about?” Phil asks, his voice is soft. His eyes are bright and blue and there is a look on his face that Dan doesn’t quite recognise.

Signing, Dan mumbles a reply. “I dunno, everything, I suppose.”

Phil nods, and yeah, Dan knows he gets it. After all the situation is just as fucked up for him as it is for all of them. But at the same time he doesn’t get it. Not to the level Dan does.

Phil moves his arms out, waving the right one towards him. He spreads his legs, making them wide enough for Dan to sit between. “Come here.”

Dan feels a crushing sense as he does so. Everything feels moderately overwhelming.  He moves forward, crawling almost until he is nestled securely between Phil’s arms, their chests touching as they both pull each other close.

He places a small kiss on Dan’s lips, gentle and chaste. One hand rests on the side of Dan’s face, cupping it for a moment.

“We’re going to be okay.” Phil says it with such conviction and warmth as he pulls Dan in that tiny bit closer. And it makes Dan believe him, if only for a small moment.

Then it stumbles across Dan like a dawning. Everything seems to melt away and he knows it. Nothing else seems to matter but Phil. Nothing in the world seems more important than Phil does. Not only right now, but always. He doesn’t care about anything, except that Phil is safe, that Phil is alive.  

“I love you,” Dan whispers. The words flood from his lips as his heart clenches in his chest. It almost burns, the feeling of warmth the spreads through him as he realises the meaning behind those words.

Phil stills for a moment, just a split second before he pulls back and looks into Dan’s eyes. And Dan sees it too, a reflection of his own feelings. He doesn’t even need confirmation as their lips press together, locking together in a similar yet different way all at once. His hands move into black hair, scrunching and threading. Phil moves his hands downwards, resting on Dan hips lightly and heavily at once. They lock onto his side, bawling at the side of his t-shirt.

They pull apart, chests moving heavily, still so close that Dan is can feel the heave against him.

They pull apart for a moment, panting. And Phil smiles at him, bright and vibrant and something Dan feels like he hasn’t seen for a lifetime. Phil gives him another small kiss, hand moving from the other male’s hair and down towards his chest, fingers palming at the edge of the collar.

“If that’s the reaction I knew I was going it get, I would have said it a lot earlier.” Dan replies, his voice teasing and a little out of breath.

Phil laughs, coming out just as breathless as Dan’s previous words. “Said what exactly?”

Dan shakes his head, “you are such a dork.”

Moving his hands in small circles on Dan’s hips, Phil replies. His voice a little bit more serious, “a dork that you love, though.”

“Yeah.” Dan agrees, “that I love a lot, actually.”

Phil grins, like he’s just witnessed the most amazing sight on earth. “Is this the part where I say it back?”

Dan swears his heart actually stops beating and he mumbles a rather unwitty reply laced with affection. “You really are a dork to be asking.”

Phil smiles again, a little different to the one before. Dan watches as Phil eyes rake across Dan’s body, and he practically shivers as he awaits Phil’s reply.

“How about I show you instead?”

His voice is so serious, and it almost, _almost_ makes Dan want to laugh. Dan decides not to answer, instead he lets his lips do the talking. He moves forward, closing the small gap that was between them once again.

Phil lets out a little groan as Dan’s tongue sweeps across his mouth. He complies quickly, Dan’s tongue exploring his mouth. It feels as though there is an extra spark, something that crawls through the ridges of Dan’s every bone. He deepens the kiss, Phil responding by pulling him slightly closer at the hips, as Dan continues to explore, focusing on the warmth and taste and everything _Phil._

Dan’s figures stray from Phil’s hair, tugging once more before trailing downwards. He traces his neck, pads of his fingers skimming over pale skin.  He takes his time, hands pressing against fabric before finally reaching the edge of the top. He tucks both hands under, fingers gliding over his soft skin for a moment before gripping the bottom of the shirt, raising it up.

Complying, their kiss stops momentarily, pulling apart for just a moment as Phil lifts his arms up. Dan takes a moment, eyes trailing Phil’s chest before Phil breaks his line of sight. His lips find their way to Dan’s neck, kisses pressing against sensitive flesh.

Dan shivers, and he notices Phil stops, a smile pressing against his skin. Responding, Dan closes his eyes, focusing on the feeling and almost overwhelming sensations. Hands pressing against Phil’s back, he moves them round, stopping only for a moment to run his fingers though his chest hair.

Lips press against Dan’s flesh a little harder, sucking against the flesh hard enough to leave a mark. He feels Phil’s tongue glide against his skins, nipping at the flesh and Dan hips involuntarily buck. A groan passes though both their lips, an overwhelming sensation passing through them both.

Phil pulls back, looking into his eyes once again. It’s overwhelming, his heart feeling too large for his chest, a tingling coursing through his body. And for the first time in a long time he feels safe. Nothing matters except him and Phil, and it fills him with a sense of want and longing and love that he can’t control.

“Phil,” Dan’s voice is a little needy, and Phil picks up on it. He shifts back as Dan pulls away, sinking into the pillows underneath him. Dan grins, climbing a bit closer and straddling the other male’s legs. 

Wasting no time, Dan’s hands undo the button on Phil’s jeans. He pulls them off, Phil lifting himself off the bed as Dan tugs the jeans down. Bitting his lip, Dan grins a bit, moving back to his previous position. Phil replicates Dans earlier process, leaning up a little bit so his hands skim over the smooth tan skin, before sliding the T-shirt over Dan’s head.

He chucks it on the floor, long forgotten amongst the array of other objects in his room. Dan pushes their chests together, skin pressing against skin as their mouths mould back together.  Hands running against exposed flesh.

Phil’s hands reach between them, fumbling with the button unsuccessfully. Dan laughs, warm air pressing against Phil’s lips. The bottom comes undone in Phil’s hands, zipper sliding down on its own accord.

“Need a hand?” Dan grins, and Phil laughs shaking his head.

“Apparently we don’t need any.” Phil responds, eyeing Dan as he hovers over them, mouths close.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Dan responds, swiping his hands over the low area on Phil’s hips.

Running his hands along the junction of Dan’s hips, Phil pulls at the rest, until Dans jeans are finally off and they are laying back down, chest to chest on their sides. Phil shuffles, pushing Dan so his back is against the bed. They don’t move more a moment, but then Dan thrust his hips, jerking them against each other. Only one thin layer of clothing between them, Dan becomes hyper aware. He can feel Phil’s dick, and he lets out a groan at the sensation.

Reacting almost instantly, Phil presses his hips back against Dan’s. Phil lips press against Dan’s neck, kissing and nipping as their hips press against each other. Dan moans, Phil’s kisses become more intense, the friction between them increasing as their hips roll together in feverous motion. He sucks at the flesh, nipping and bitting and Dan arches against Phil.

Dan’s hands slide between them, he runs his fingers across Phil’s back, an overwhelming sense of love and passion washing over him. His breath comes out with little moans, Phil matching him. He’s never felt so alive before, but we wants to be closer. He _needs_ to be closer to Phil.

A hand slides between them, pushing at Phil’s chest and it slows down their movements. Dan wastes no time, hand slipping between the top of Phil’s boxers and wrapping around his erection. His hand swivels round the top, spreading the pre-cum before he pumps slowly. Phil moans, head dropping down onto Dan’s neck.

“I want all of you,” Dan announces, and Phil responds with another low moan, hips jerking to meet with the movement.

“I- yeah, god, Dan,” Phil replies, and he places a hand over Dan’s, stilling the motion. It takes a moment, Phil’s breath becoming less laboured before he continues. “I mean, are you sure?”

Dan shifts, so his elbows are by his sides and he is propped up slightly. “Yes, definitely.”

Phil hesitates slightly. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to. But your not- I mean, you’re not just wanting this because of, well, everything?”

Dan’s eyes softens, and he gives Phil a warm smile. “I want to be with you properly. I know it sounds stupid and overly fucking cliché, but we can deal with everything later.  I just want to be with you now.”

Phil smiles, a small laugh seeping though. “You sound like a blockbuster love movie.”

Dare gives Phil a fake glare, whacking him lightly on the arm, but his hand lingers there. “Shut up, talk about ruining the mood.”

Phil’s grin intensifies. “Would this help instead?”

Phil places a palm over Dan’s member, even though the thin layer of clothing causes Dan to let out a shuttered breath.

“Possibly,” Dan breaths, and Phil repeats his previous actions once again.

His fingers move down, gently grazing Dan’s thighs. Phil works his way back up, hands grabbing on to the edge of the material before moving it down.

Dan watches as Phil’s eyes trail over him, his feelings in overload and he swears he can see desire littered amongst those blue orbs. Phil leans down, placing a kiss over Dan’s completely exposed thigh.

“Have you got any lube?” Phil asks, and places another soft kiss.

Dan’s head reels, his mind struggling to keep up. “Second drawer.”

“Really? I thought we were going to have to search your drawers for a jar of Vaseline.” Phil moves a bit higher up this time.

“Present from Chris,” Dan admits, his cheeks reddening at the realisation of even having to mention Chris’ name during his and Phil’s first time. He feels Phil’s lips smile against his skin and the warmness of he’s breath as he laughs. “Literally after you and I first met.”

Pulling away Phil moves to the side, rummaging through the draw until he finds that he’s looking for. “Of course it was.”

Dan lets out a groan, completely unrelated to desire.

It soon changes as Phil pulls of his underwear, moving so he is positioned in between Dan’s legs. Dan looks at him, pale skin so soft and beautiful that it almost takes his breath away.

Responding, Dan moves his legs farther apart, positioning himself on the bed so Phil has better access. Phil runs a hand down his right leg, making its way up and Dan’s heart almost skips a beat in anticipation.

Phil squirts some liquid onto his fingers, covering them. They move slightly hesitantly as they reach Dan’s rim, circling it gently.

“Ready?” Phil asks, and Dan nods, agreeing with a small “yes.”

Hoisting the brunette’s leg up a little higher, Phil pushes a finger in. Dan flinches a little bit. Phil waits a moment, until Dan gives him another small nod, telling Phil to continue.

He moves his finger around slowly, attempting to cause Dan as little discomfort as possible. It doesn’t take too long before Phil adds a second digit, stretching him a bit more. Dan’s breath shutters as he lets out a gasp; Phil’s finger grazes his spot, a jolt of electricity spreading though his body.

Phil grins, catching on and hitting it again. Dan squirms, the pleasure quickly erasing the slight burn he was previously feeling.

It’s not long before Phil adds a third finger. Dan craves the feeling, his senses heightened. His toes curling into the bed spread as he rocks his hips into Phil’s hand. Phil’s hand grips Dan’s cock, giving it a few pumps and Dan all but whimpers at the sensation.

“ _Phil_ ,” he moans, voice slightly high pitched. Phil gets the message, removing his hand a pulling his fingers out. He coats himself with lube, eyes closing a little bit at the feeling.

Phil looks back down at Dan, whose cheeks are flustered. He leans down, giving him a kiss before pulling back up. “Alright?”

“God, Phil, _hurry up.”_

Happily complying, Phil lines himself up, tip resting against Dan’s hole. He pushes in slowly, the tightness and warmth slightly overwhelming. Dan wraps his arms around Phil, clasping his legs around the other male as he enters fully. He jerks his hips up as Phil meets him, before groaning as Phil quickly pulls out, before slamming right back in.

A chores of groans fill the air. Phil moves his hands, anchoring them beside Dan’s head for leverage. He repeats his previous action quicker, pace picking up as he jerks his hips against Dan’s.  Phil moves his head, mouth pressing against Dan’s for a messy kiss. Their mouths move together, breaking apart to gasp for air before pressing back against each other.

“Fuck!” Dan swears as Phil manages to hit his spot. Phil thrusts his hips again, moving them in the same direction and Dan lets out a second swear, closely followed by another groan. He continues, moving against the spot until Dan is almost screaming under him.

Dan’s breath is laboured, coming out so short and sharp that he is unable to continue to kiss. He reaches a hand between him, clasping it around his dick and pumping quickly. It only takes a few strokes, the pressure building in his stomach to the point where it is almost unbearable.

Phil moves his head, dropping down to Dan’s neck and resting just above his ear. His thrusts fast, erratic and almost sloppy. He leans closer, lips grazing Dan’s ear before he whispers the words. “ _I love you_.”

Dan clenches around Phil, the pleasure all too much as he comes. His body feels warm, it spreads around inside him; his toes tingling as he opens his mouth in a silent moan. The world goes black for a moment, and he can vaguely feel Phil thrusting into him.  The bed moves, hitting against the wall and causing it to creak as Phil gives a final thrust.

He collapses into Dan, panting heavily against the side of his neck.

It takes a few moments for Dan to regain his thoughts, he shifts, hands moving to wrap themselves into Phil’s hair, which is riddled with sweat from their previous actions. He feels Phil press a small kiss against his neck, humming slightly and Dan feels as though he could almost explode from happiness.

“Wow,” is the most intelligent term that Dan can come up with when he is finally able to speak.

Phil chuckles against his neck, turning his head to the side so he can look at Dan’s face.

“That good?”

Dan nods, a hand moving from Phil’s hair to run up and down the back of the other males spine. “Mmm-hmm,” he says, before adding after a moment, “not that I have anything to compare it to.”

“Way to kill the after-glow.” Phil announces, and Dan somehow musters the energy to jab him in the side.

Phil lets out a small noise, turning so he is curled against Dan some more.

“Can we say it’d safe to assume we are never telling Chris about using his present?” Phil questions after a moment.

“Wow, and you say I killed the mood.”

Phil nudges him, and when Dan looks over, he can only see fondness and love and admiration.

But he clarifies. “Definitely don’t tell Chris.”

“And, uh, Dan?” Phil asks, and Dan notices that his not actually looking up at himself, but off towards the corner. “Are you aware that every book you currently own has fallen to the floor?”

Dan follows his line of sight, books completely dropped from the selves in every possible direction. His chair has fallen over and if he’s not mistaken, so has his laundry basket. He almost groans, this is not the first time he has lost control of his powers around Phil. “We’re not telling him about their either.”

Phil laughs so hard he almost cries.


	27. Of Icebergs and Waves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh lookie! Another chapter. Sorry it's a bit late again, but it can't be helped! Unfortunately, this is actually the second last (possibly third last, depending on how long the next chapter turns out) of Ethereal. It's weird to see the ending written in my notes. I don't know what i'm going to do when i finish writing. 
> 
> But as always, enjoy this chapter. And thank you for all your lovely reviews from previous chapters!
> 
> Also!! Laurenathalasa has also made an amazing fan trailer for Ethereal. Feel free to check it out on her YouTube account! Thank you so much! I’m seriously flattered that you’ve made something for my work. (Seriously I really am).

Dan should probably be a little worried. There’s a million things that should be on his mind, a thousand thoughts that should torment him, yet he can’t bring himself to care. Not when there when there is a warm body tucked against his own. Letting out a content sigh, Dan shifts, moving his head so it is pressing further into the warmth beside him.

Legs tangled, Phil shifts, eyes looking down and a small smile resting on his lips. It reminds Dan exactly why he is incapable of worry. “Do you think we should probably get up soon? Before somebody comes back home. I don’t think this would be an easy situation to explain.”

Phil laughs as he talks, his voice coming out a little huskier then usual and Dan internally grins. Groaning slightly at the thought of moving, Dan protests.

“I’d rather not.”

Proving a point, Dan shifts forwards a little more, pulling the blanket over his chest and cuddling into the Phil that little bit more.

Phil laughs, moving himself away whilst pushing himself into a sitting position, Dan falling down into the empty bed beside him. “What about if I offer an incentive?”

“Hmm?” Dan questions, eyebrows raised. “What kind of incentive?”

“How about a shower?”

“I think you need to look up the definitions of words before you use them, Phil.”

Grinning, Phil stands up. “I was thinking more along the lines of us showering together.”

Dan looks at him for a second, his mind going completely blank. It takes less than the moment before the sheets are ripped away from his body. Dan’s at the door before Phil even takes another step.

“Okay.”

Dan vaguely thinks that he’s never heard a better definition surrounding the word.

-

It’s almost dark by the time Phil’s phone chimes. Dan vaguely wonders why it took so long for PJ or Chris to contact them. The thoughts are soon erased as he assumes their afternoon was spent in a much similar fashion to his own. The reason behind that is the only thing that’s worrying.

They’ve put everything off for as long as they can. They all know it.

“They’re going to come over soon,” Phil announces. “Shouldn’t be longer than five minutes. They are already on their way.”

His voice is a little tight, and Dan knows that it’s all due to sudden nerves. They all know what coming. The past few hours have been denying the inevitable. A decision needs to be made, regardless of how much they have actively been trying to avoid it. Touches and kisses and promises have managed to erase their impending decision. Erased everyone from their minds for a few hours.

Dan can hear his mother downstairs, kitchen utensils cluttering together as he prepares to look a meal. A vague tune of music can be heard through the corridor, symbolising his brother’s presence in the other room. The TV downstairs alerts Dan to his father’s presence. The noises weigh heavy, his heart twinging at the thoughts of how normal everything is right now. That his family are here and alive and so _unaware_.

He hears footsteps shuffle beside him, vaguely registering Phil move until he is standing right before him.

“I can’t promise that things will be okay,” Phil says. “But we’re not going to let anything happen to our families. Not mine, or Chris’ or PJ’s or _yours_.”

Dan swallows, nodding. He knows it’s true. None of them would ever risk that. Deep down they already know the decision that is going to be made. Unless there is another option that doesn’t involve putting their families in harms ways. But at the moment, it seems almost futile.

“Yeah,” Dan agrees, “I know.”

Phil words should be comforting. In a way they sort of are, there is nothing more important than his family. But in a bigger way they are just as terrifying.

The echo of footsteps walking up the stairs and corridor indicate the arrival of Chris and PJ. Chris is first through the door. He makes himself at home immediately, leaning against the bookshelf just as PJ wonders into the room.

“Hey,” PJ greets. His voice is stable, nothing out of the ordinary. Everyone’s face is telling; they are all reluctant, and there is no point trying to pretend like everything is okay. Dan’s sure that it would be futile, most of all when PJ is able to read them as easily as a book.

“Might as well get straight to the point,” Chris says, shrugging. “Anyone willing to start off?”

“Talk about an easy Segway,” Dan jokes. It’s a little apprehensive. He was sort of hoping to put the conversation off for a little longer and by the semi-surprised looks spread across the room, so was everyone else.

“The longer we take the worse it’ll be, anyway.” Chris replies. “What’s the point in putting off the inevitable?”

Dan nods slightly in agreement. It’s true, but that doesn’t make it any better.

“It’s not like it is even going to be a decision, we don’t actually _have_ _a choice_.”

PJ sighs. “Of course we do.”

Chris raises his eyebrows, a look between surprise and confusion. “Really?”

Pushing himself away from the doorframe, PJ walks towards the middle of the room, stopping just short of a side of the bed.

“We don’t have to go,” PJ admits. “But if we don’t…”

“Exactly.”

“But if we do?” Phil speaks, “what then?”

“We don’t even know what they want.” Dan admits. “Or if they even want anything.”

It’s a rather hopeful thought, but it’s not one that any of them believe.

Chris huffs, “yeah right, and them attacking me was a friendly gesture? Not a chance.”

Dan fidgets with the hem on his shirt. No one has really mentioned that so far, it’s sort of been avoided since the other night. A sensitive topic that leaves too many questions and not enough answers. Especially surrounding Chris. Their no doubt in Dan’s mind that he was far more terrified then he let on. Something like that is emotionally scaring, there is no doubt in that.

PJ’s voice leaves a longing question. “So what do you suggest we do?”

The room is still, the question lingering in the air. Dan glances around, un-uncomfortable look resting on all their faces, and yeah, they all know the answer that is pressing against the tip of their tongues.

He speaks up. “It’s four against three.”

 Chris looks at him, surprise expressed within his features. As though he wasn’t expecting anyone else to just come out and say it.

“So what, you suggest we fight them? We’re four _teenage boys_.” PJ admits, rather uncharacteristically so. He looks stressed, Dan can’t blame him, and all of them feel the exact same way. “Even if we could hold our own, who’s to say there aren’t more of them? We don’t actually know.”

“Well we aren’t going to find out by sitting around here and waiting either.” Chris retorts. “We’re like sitting ducks. We’ve got no chance if they come after us one by one. It was easy for them to get me before. Three against one is nothing. I had practically no hope, especially when they took me by surprise. The four of us are the only chance we’ve got.”

It leaves a small twitch in Dan’s mind. It sounds like something he’s heard before. In the movies right before they go off to war, before the big battle of good vs. evil. It’s a little motivating, but to be honest, it’s much more intimidating. The fact is that there are so much unknown variables. They know practically nothing about the others and it seems like they know everything about the four of them.

“Maybe…we change it?” Phil suggests, his silence finally braking.

“Change what?” Dan questions, interest peeking through.

“Instead of letting them have the advantage, we make our own.” He explains.

Chris looks amused. “How do we do that? Because if you can think of a way, you’re about to win ‘mega brownie points’, as Mrs. Howell is so fond of saying.”

“Well they left us a phone number, right? We text them the location we want to meet at, instead of letting them decide on all the details. That way, we can use it to our own advantage.”

Dan frowns, “but where? It’s not like we have anywhere-”

Chris interrupts him, excitement taking over. “Phil, you are a fucking genius.”

“You mean our practice spot?” PJ asks and a wave of realisation washes over Dan. It makes sense, somewhere where they know the terrain. Where they might have an advantage if anything was to happen. If things went sour.

“That way we can meet them and make some sort of quick escape if something goes wrong.”

Dan laughs at the words, as though there is any other possibility. This is almost certainly going to end in a way that Dan fears. But it’s better than the alternative. Better than putting everyone else at risk. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to his family. None of them would.

“And if it does?”

The room is still once again, the question something that they have all thought about it but refused to address.

“We deal with it the same as before,” PJ clarifies. “Defend yourselves.”

Dan wonders for a moment what would actually happen. If something like that happened. What PJ would be capable to do? What Phil would be able to do? It’ not as though he has great control over his abilities yet. They have unproved, undoubtable, but he still has nowhere near the control level of himself or Chris.

PJ on the other hand is the opposite. He almost has completely control. He doesn’t have a choice but to constantly be in control. But he doesn’t know what would actually happen if it came down to it. How PJ would be able to help. He could possibly help manipulate their emotions, but maybe fear would be to their own benefit. After all, their abilities have always reacted to their emotions. Maybe he could switch it on the others. Make them afraid.

“Who’s going to do it then?” Phil asks.

“Seeing as how the number was saved into my phone, I’m guessing probably me.” Chris suggests, pulling the phone out of his pocket and unlocking the screen.

“When did you notice that?” Dan asks, unsure as to when this was actually discovered. Last he heard, there was only a letter, until Phil told him otherwise.

“I noticed it last night. I was looking through to call my mum and noticed an unknown number. There was also a message in my inbox with just the message of ‘what’s your decision?’ I’m thinking that was fairly obvious. And fucking Cliché if you ask me. They could have been a bit more original.”

Dan almost laughs. “Maybe they thought you wouldn’t have understood anything more cryptic.”

“I’ll have you know I got a B in English last year,” Chris snorts. “What am I even going to say back?”

Shuffling a little closer, Dan moves so he can look at the screen. PJ and Phil follow, all moving until they are in view of Chris’ phone.

“Maybe just saying the address?”

“Does it even have an address?” Phil questions, causing Dan to shrug.

Chris shrugs, the screen moving slightly to the left in the process.

“Just tell them, by the lake in the middle of the reserve. If they’ve entered Dan’s mind, I’m sure they will know where it is.”

That’s a reminder that Dan doesn’t want to think about. There is no telling what his guy was able to do when he was somehow inside his mind. So many things that could have happened, endless possibilities and none of them are appealing. There is nothing good that could have come from what happened.

“Thanks for the reminder,” Dan mumbles. PJ smiles at him sympathetically.

Chris interrupts after a short moment. “Sent.”

Everyone looks at the phone, eyes unable to look away. Nerves feel Dan. What if they refuse? Then they have no plan and practically no hope. This is the only thing they have going for them and it’s not much. Knowing the terrain is only a small aspect. Sure, they could defend themselves, but they don’t know what everyone else is capable of. They could be stronger, have better abilities. Even with this, they don’t really stand a chance.

But it’s better than nothing.

Chris’ phone chimes once, a reply popping up onto the screen.

_Meet you at 2pm._

Suddenly everything feels too real.

There is less than 24 hours left.

“Well fuck.”

Chris manages to express exactly what they are all feeling.

 


	28. Luminous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all ends here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it guys. The final chapter and it's a whooper (seriously this chapter got away from me it's longer then a few of my one-shots). I just want to thank everyone for reading and supporting me through this entire journey. For those lovely comments that kept me motivated and encouraged me to continue writing until the forbidden am's. 
> 
> Not gonna lie, I've fallen a bit in love with writing this story. It's feels so weird for it to be over. Hope you have enjoyed reading this, just as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
> 
> So here, take it! The final official chapter of Ethereal (yes there will be an epilogue!). 
> 
> Enjoy C:

The morning is a mix of emotions. The day seems to slow down and speed up all at the same time. Dan tries not to over think it. It’s Phil’s idea; to spend the morning how they usually would. It works, sort of. For a few moments Dan feels like nothing is different. Like he is carefree and happy just being here with Phil. Like nothing is different and he can just be content, next to one of the most important people in the world.

Then there are moments when there are also tears in Dan’s eyes. When he says goodbye to his family before they head round to Phil’s for the remainder of the morning. Phil gives Dan’s hand a light squeeze. Silent encouragement. It’s something, but part of Dan feels like it almost isn’t enough.

He misses those lighthearted moments. When his life seemed so much more simple and easy. Video games with his friends, pizza nights with lazy sleep ins. Now everything feels different. Everything is tainted by the thoughts that linger in his mind, subconsciously controlling everything he does. There are moments where he feels as though this can’t be real. That this strange turn of events can’t be happening. Then there are moments –more recently then ever- where he feels like he’s trapped. Like he has no choices and the inevitability of what is to come is looming over his head in some sort of sick torment.

It isn’t long before the afternoon rolls around. The morning is spent in a haze. Filled with video games and YouTube and kisses, but all with a numb sort of attachment. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, they make their way over to Chris’. Their agreed rendezvous point, the closest to their dreaded destination.

“Anxious?” Phil questions. Dan pulls back, realizing his hand has clamped a little too tightly at some point during his whirlwind of thoughts. He releases his grip a bit, hand still lightly entwined with Phil’s own. He gives Phil a small nod and Phil gives him a surprising sympathetic look, running his thumb against the back of Dan’s hand.

“Everything will be over soon,” Phil mentions, and although the words shouldn’t be comforting, they are. It’s a reminder of what he needs. That one way or another, they’ll all find out exactly what’s going on. They’ll know exactly who these people are and what they want. In an hour this tension will be gone. In an hour, everything will be over and all of this will hopefully be some hazy forgotten memory.

“So, like, that’s it, then?” Chris asks as he opens the door.

“That’s what?” Phil asks, as he vaguely glances around in an attempt to understand what the brunette is referring to.

“I was expecting a little bit more, ya know,” Chris shrugs. “Suits of armor, hidden weapons. A wand.”

Dan stares at him for a moment. “A wand?”

Chris grins. “Yeah, something just to like, amp it up a bit.  Dumbledore’s army or some shit like that. Let’s be honest, some cool ass looking weapon to go with our abilities with be kind of awesome. How about some ninja moves, chuck some shuriken in with a fire bolt. You know. Anything really.”

PJ moves into sight, just beyond the doorway, “if you wanted to develop some sort of skill you shouldn’t have quit taekwondo seven years ago.”

“I think yellow belt two stripes was pretty impressive. I believe that makes me the most valuable team member out of the lot of ya.”

“For a twelve year old, maybe.” PJ admits and Chris scoffs, fake annoyance littered on his face.

For a moment everything feels normal. Dan laughs, his face in a grin that mimics everyone else’s. For a split second everything’s back to how it should be. How they all should be.

An alarm chimes on PJ’s phone. Dan grimaces, his face quickly changing morphing into the opposite expression it once was. There isn’t much time left anymore.

Phil zips up his coat, previously having just gone to take it off. There is a small silence as everyone soaks in exactly what it means. 

“You don’t actually have a weapon, do you, Chris?” Dan jokes, but he finds himself wondering if maybe some sort of weapon, no matter how absurd it actually sounds, wouldn’t actually be a bad idea.

“No need, I can blow shit up remember?” Chris replies, taking his backpack off the rack and shoving it on. “I _am_ the secret weapon.”

“I’m pretty sure the definition of a secret requires your abilities to be, well, a _secret.”_ PJ retorts.

“Do you think the part where you shot fire towards other people ruined that element at all?” Phil retorts.

Chris shrugs, “only a little bit.”

“If anything Phil would have been, _could_ have been,” Dan comments. “Before he discovered his abilities anyway. That probably would have come in real handy.” 

PJ’s phone chimes again, ringtone going off just as loudly as before.

“I set another one just in case, well, this happened.” PJ admits, and yeah maybe they were all intentionally prolonging the inevitable for a bit longer.

“Better head off, I suppose,” Phil says. Dan lets out a deep breath as everyone begins to shuffle out the door. The plan is to get there a bit early. Scope the area out momentarily and make sure everything is okay. Whatever okay actually means, is another thing entirely.

PJ is out the door first, pausing for a moment for everyone else to follow in suit. It feels weirdly natural. Like PJ is leading them into battle. Like it’s his place to do so. Dan frowns, it’s not exactly a thought any normal teenager should be thinking. Yet here they are, trudging down the familiar set of pathways in an almost eerie silence.

It’s not a horrible day. It isn’t raining, which is sort of a benefit to Chris, but then again, it’s also sort of a disadvantage to Phil.

Dan watches as Chris nudges PJ’s shoulder playfully in front on them, and Dan knows it Chris’ weird way of showing affection and support. He smiles, glancing at Phil from the corner of his eye, and is sure that he notices it too. The truth is, they’ve gone through just as many hardships. Everything is a bit different, almost difficult, but at the same time those words are too ambiguous. It’s easy to see the strain among everyone. Dan almost wonders how no one else has noticed. It seems so obvious. Chris’ slightly less cocky attitude, PJ’s worry that almost constantly ghosts his face. In fact, Dan can’t even remember the last time PJ got up Chris for snickering after a perverse joke. But maybe that’s just because Dan feels as though he has known them his entire life.

It’s weird. A sense of solemnity and ease as they walk. And it feels that maybe, with them all together like they are, things might be okay.

The edge of the park arrives almost quicker then Dan expects it too. He expects them to hesitate, take a moment to glance around before stepping inside the entrance to the tree littered fields. However they don’t. PJ leads them straight ahead, down the path they and into the begging area of the tree filled area. The trees are somewhat unnerving, and even though Dan knows these people are waiting just a few meters away, he can’t help but think of everything else that happened here. Everything that happened to get them to this point.

And most of them, really aren’t that bad.

The forest becomes denser, the path getting smaller and pointing in a few different directions. The creek is gradually becoming louder, birds singing in the trees as though they know nothing of the events to come. Somehow, it’s a little bit calming. And Dan can’t help but think, that if these are going to be the last moments of his life, walking through a forest with three of the people he cares the most about, is not such a bad thing.  

Phil’s hand bumps against his as they continue. Just the press of each of their knuckles against, occasionally touching. Its reassurance and Dan knows that they all need this right now. And oddly enough, as they enter towards the thicker area of the reserve, a sense of calm washes over him. One that PJ doesn’t take any part of.

He bites his lip as PJ stops just short of the clearing. The water is trickling behind them, flowing through. It’s not as peaceful as usual. It ripples faster than usual. Dan thinks that, on some small scale, it might be reacting to Phil.

PJ and Chris grind to the halt in front of them. Just before they reach the edge of their –somewhat dreaded- destination.

“What?” Phil whispers, pausing his movements just behind them.

“So much for the element of surprise.” Chris announces, his head jerking slightly towards that area before them.

“Stick to the plan, alright?” PJ murmurs.

Dan’s mind reels. The plan, is to stick together at all costs. It’s not exactly fool proof. He can feel the anxiety settling in, it flashes upon him like a sudden storm one moment, and then is slowly ebbing away and fading the next.

It’s PJ’s doing.

“Ready?” PJ asks.

Dan counts to three, the words echoing in his mind before he watches everyone take a step into the clearing.

It’s not a neat cut circle. Rocks litter the ground, some standing out largely. Patches of green grass are in between lining the outer circle of trees. In the middle are three people and Dan’s mind reels as he realizes he’s seen these individuals before.

One girl sits down, her legs stretched before her as she glances around somewhat meaninglessly, blonde hair tasseled out behind her. Her blue eye catch his own momentarily, light blue and glassy. The figure to her right moves slightly, brown eyes watching them somewhat narrowly.  He smiles at them, as though it should be some greeting, but it looks wrong. Almost cocky and arrogant.

They continue walking, the sun barely giving enough light under a set of clouds. It’s been a rather dreary day and Dan’s mind can’t help but feel as though once again, the weather is representing their situation almost perfectly.

Dan’s eyes however are locked with another. The piercing bright green is hard to forget. It’s almost implanted in his mind and he doesn’t know how or why and his mind reels. Trying to remember where, because it seems like so much more than the obvious. This guy isn’t the same as he thinks. The eyes are the same, that’s for sure. He’s seen them when he was with Phil and had his mini freak out. But _it’s different_.

He can’t quite place it.

 “You rang?” Chris’s voice quips, sarcastic and dry. “Or should I say, demanded, kidnapped? How about threatened? They all seem to apply right now. Which one would you prefer I use?”

Dan doesn’t know if he wants to hit Chris or kiss him for being so bold. 

 “I suppose they all work,” green-eyes states. “Although I do prefer to use the term invited. After all, we are here to discuss something rather important.”

“And that would be?” PJ asks as boldly as Chris had spoken before him. Dan’s not sure where this confidence is coming from. But I suppose, as they saying goes; fake it till you make it. He’s more than confident that’s exactly what’s happening.

The guy just smiles, taking a step forward from behind the other two. Dan’s not sure if he should be worried. They seem to be rather un-phased, watching with what almost appears to be practiced ease. The girl continues to sit there, picking at the grass as though it is far more interesting than the conversation currently around her.

“Straight to the point then?” The guy looks amused, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips. “Most of the others don’t really do that. There is usually a lot of rambling before that happens. All nerves, of course. You don’t appear to be that worried, however. I’m unsure as to whether that is because of your personalities or more say, manipulation.”

Dan’s mouth goes dry. _Others?_

He notices his friends go stiff. Coming to the same conclusion.

“So I guess that makes this whole experience a regular occurrence then. Some sort of twisted hobby?” Chris practically spits. His words are a force of their own, practically laced with venom. Dan can almost feel the blood starting to pound in his veins. The tingling sensation running through his veins on high alert. His powers are aching to surface, to _defend._

The girl, previously situated on the floor presses upwards until she stands. She turns away from the group surrounding her and glances directly at each of the four of them. Eyes lingering over each of them for a few seconds.

“Look, we just want to make you an offer.” She says.

There is silence for a second, and Dan speaks before he even realises it. “And that would be?”

“A chance to learn. We offer experience and expertise for individuals with particular abilities and it would appear that the four of you have some interesting things to share.”

“Learn about what?” Phil asks, piping up. Dan can hear the slightest bit of curiosity in his voice. In fact, despite the circumstances, there is some within his own mind. After all, the four of them know next to nothing about their abilities. Apart from what they have learned to do. They don’t know how they got them, or if there was a reason.

She gives Phil a look, a mix between smug and pleased.

“Did you know that a lot of people have abilities? A vast majority, actually. They just don’t realise it. Usually it’s passed as a weird thing that infrequently happens, that they feel and can’t always explain. Something that doesn’t fully develop. Or even something that has and they don’t know it. For example, fortune. Those who are ‘lucky’ more commonly then most actually aren’t, in fact, just lucky. It’s generally a form of probability manipulation. Most people go through their entire lives without knowing it.”

“What’s more interesting though, is those whose powers actually develop. Those who have the chance to manifest and change. People, like us. Individuals with stronger powers, those who are able to manipulate and control them with their own will. Now that, those abilities. They are a lot rarer. ”

Her hand rises up, palms unclenching. Dan’s breathe catches. As she open her palm the blades of grass fall. But before they even reach half way to the ground, a loud crack is heard. A flash of light appears from the girl’s hand, aimed right at the blades and incinerating them.

Lightening.

Both Phil and Chris flinch slightly, a small jerk of an arm at the sudden demonstration.

“And of that. Physical powers are more common than those that rely on mental abilities only. Generally, those don’t tend to manifest in such, _intense_ levels, you could say.”

“Which made you a difficult fucker to invade, that’s for sure.” His green eyes sparkles, as though he enjoyed the challenge. “My Oneirokinesis didn’t stand a chance. You’re the first person I’ve come across who could block out my dream manipulation. What is it, by the way? A mental shield? With an ability to implant it on others too. It’s impressive. Takes a lot of my concentration to surpass it, even with the three of them.”

Dan glances at PJ. It’s the first he’s heard of anything like this. PJ has never been able to do anything outside his empathy, at least to all their knowledge. He can see the small look of surprise on PJ’s face. Hidden, mostly. But Dan knows him too well. The small twitch of his right hand gives it all away. It’s as though PJ had no idea himself.  Dan’s not sure what that could even mean. How could PJ do something he knew nothing about?

“Plenty of things you don’t know about us.” Chris comments and it sounds a little bit like a threat. A large part of Dan hopes that the three opposite them find it intimidating.

The blonde lets out a small laugh, smiling at Chris. “Like-wise.”

Chris retorts. “Rather confident for someone who spent the majority of their time invading other people’s minds before revealing themselves. Rather coward like, actually.”

The girl’s eyes narrow slightly. Her fake smile faltering for a moment. It whips back into place, her eyes glancing back over to the green-eyed man as her move her right shoulder pointedly in his direction.

“We had to make sure you were the real deal before we extended the offer. After all, this is an all or nothing deal and we don’t extend it to just everyone. Luke makes sure of that.”

“We want you to join us.”

This time the brown-eyed man speaks and for some reason his voice sends shivers down Dan’s spine.  He could swear that the temperature drops a few degrees. Wind whipping around for a moment.

PJ replies, only skipping a small beat. “Which would involve?”

“Sharing our beliefs,” he replies.  “We’re the same. Different powers but we share the same beliefs, have the same fears.”

Dan eyes him suspiciously.

“You’ve felt it, you can’t deny it.” The blonde comments, “you’ve been worried about getting caught out. Worried someone will discover what you can do and something negative will happen because of it. People who don’t understand. They think you’re a _freak_ , that you’re dangerous. And their right. What do you think is going to start happening when people catch onto what you are? Who says they don’t already know.”

She speaks with venom in her voice, laced within every single word.

“And then what? We let them take us off for experimentation? Kill us off one by one? Let them use us against our will? Contain us one by one? What then?”

Phil questions, one hand slightly pressed into his side. “That’s happening? Right now? Are there…do people know?”

The blond flicks her wrist again. Lightening appearing in a flash before vanishing a quickly as it arrived.

“Not that we know of.”

Dan gets a dreadful feeling, his gut wrenching as though he knows the exact words that are about to be spoken.

“Which is why we need to get in first.”

The words wash over Dan like a splash of cold water. They want to strike first. Their building up a team, an elite specialist force. That’s why they want the four of them.

Chris’ laugh is the only sound the follows, somehow a mix between genuine and forced. Like he finds this situation the most absurd thing in the universe.

“And what? You want a bunch of high school teens to go on a fucking killing spree based upon your deluded theory? Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Pitch the crazy to someone else. We’re not interested.”

Three pairs of eyes narrow on Chris. Dan can feel his body physically convulse, his abilities practically screaming within his flesh.

“It is Chris, right?” She asks, almost mockingly. “You seem to miss the point here. It’s not a question of age, or gender or any type of shit like that, that has nothing to do with anything. In fact it’s not even a real question. Because you don’t really have a choice. You either agree, flip that little switch of yours, that stupid moral compass. Understand what you’d be fighting for. Or you don’t. And then, well. Let’s say if your abilities aren’t going to be of use to us, then they aren’t going to be of use at _all._ ”

The four of them freeze, words washing over them like a tidal wave.

“Exterminate them before they exterminate us.”

No one speaks, silence filling the air. The creek rapidly moving in the background is the only thing to be heard. There’s a brief moment where Dan wonders why the birds aren’t chirping. Even they don’t appear to want to be anywhere near here.

“Then again, if your own lives aren’t enough incentive, how about those of your family?”

Green-eyes speaks again, all heads snapping towards him in attention. Dan inwardly screams. Not his family. Not his mum and dad and not Adrian. _Not his family._

“Any volunteers?”

_Stick to the plan, stick to the plan._

“I do. I’ll join.”

Chris takes a step forward, a distinctive gap between him and the rest of the ground.

“ _Chris!”_ PJ’s voice rings out. His hand reaching out and grasping Chris’ upper arm. Chris steps away, taking another step away from the others and towards those he had been completely against only a minute ago.

He doesn’t turn around, refusing to look back. “I can’t…I- not my family. Not my mum and dad. I won’t do that. They’re not a part of this. I won’t let them get involved. This is our fuck up and I’m not letting them anywhere near this. This isn’t something they can clean up. I won’t let them, not after everything they’ve already had to do.”

“You can’t, _Chris,”_ PJ’s voice is desperate, urgent and pleading. Dan’s never heard him so raw. His heart pounds in his chest. Beating fast then he thought was humanly possible. He can’t talk as the events unfold before him.

“Chris,” Phil tries, his voice shaking.

Ignoring them, Chris continues forward. Taking slow yet determined steps towards the enemy group.

Dan can hear the smug underdone in her voice as she talks. “Anyone else?”

Chris takes his place standing slightly behind the others, refusing to meet eye contact. Out of the corner of Dan’s eye, he can see PJ visibly trembling. 

“No,” PJ flat-tones. He doesn’t spare a glance towards Dan or Phil. “No one-else.”

His eyes bore directly onto the others, specifically at Chris, who glances up momentarily and makes contact. He bites his lip, looking off to the side to avoid PJ’s glare.

“It’s a shame, to see such abilities go to waste like this.”

Dan glances towards the girl, her eye glistening with something he has never seen before. The familiar crack appears, her right hand glowing in a mix of blues, purples and bright white light.

 _Stick to the plan_.

Chris looks up, looking directly at Phil and gives a small nod, almost impossible to notice if you weren’t looking for it in the first place.

Flames alight on Chris’ palms, a strong flicking ember flame. He hurls them forward, palms rising directly at bodies beside him as he punches the air. He’s aiming directly to at the blonde, with immense accuracy. It ebbs outwards, perfectly on target, fire aimed perfectly, spiraling outward in a strong, long continuous flame.

Dan’s eyes widen as he watches.

Suddenly there is a strong burst of wind, directly pointed in the opposite direction. Its faint blue creates an orb of its own, dispersing from alongside them. It flickers with the flames, knocking them backwards and dispersing them in the air. Chris jolts back, another gust forming out of his palm quicker than before. It hits Chris head on, knocking him backwards ad skidding along the ground.

Dan whips his head around.

“You little bitch,” the blonde sneers, the lightening flashing in her palm as though it directly reacts to her anger.

She doesn’t have time to say anything else. The area breaks into chaos. Phil moves his hands, water appearing and floating around him. It flows up from the lake, curling around his body before it pushes forward.  Gliding through the air at tremendous speed, it hits her head on, knocking her to the side in a similar fashion to Chris.

“Elisha,” the brunette growls towards the blonde.

Dan watches her pull herself up. Electricity convolses off her, surrounding her body. From the corner of his eye he can see Chris block an attack from the brunette. Chris move his hands, blocking it with a wall of fire in front of him, that disperses each attach as they come.

The lightening pushes forward, aimed at Phil. Dan’s abilities swirl inside him and screaming at him to do something. He focuses; wills himself to attack. To help. That’s all it takes, the ground becomes one, rocks that litter the ground on front of him hurl forward. Phil’s water pushes forward in a heavy stream. It pauses in front of him like a wave, freezing right before the bolt of energy hits it.

Another volt pushes forward, this time towards Dan as Elisha sees the incoming attack. She pushes herself back up, crawling backwards. Dan can see the anger in her eyes. It practically pours out of her, as she seethes. The bolts convulse one by one, blocking each of Dan’s moves, shattering the rocks into small pieces before they manage to hit her.

Dan casts a glance at Phil out of the corner of his eye. The water on front of him disperses, transforming from ice into water. It circles him once, wrapping around his body like a second layer. Dan’s eyes widen in response. They have a plan.

_Douse her._

Focusing again, Dan’s eye scatter around. His telekinesis aches inside him, surging with each use. He locks on, willing the larger rock dug into the ground behind Elisha to move. It lifts, springing free from the ground and into the air with ease. It moves forward, directly towards the target. A gust of wind picks up around them, pushing against Dan. His feet dig into the ground, trying to anchor him.

Elisha’s eyes whip around, seeing the boulder at the last moment. Her electricity surges forward, knocking the boulder back with a huge bolt. The distraction is all Phil needs, his water springs towards her. Wrapping around her in large bolts. It douses her in water, smothering her body in the absence of her electrical shield. The water freezes in a split second, her body trapped between the layers of water.

“PJ,” Phil speaks and Dan finally looks over into his direction. He’s still, glancing directly into the eyes of the other man. Neither of them blink and Dan feels dread wash over him for a second as PJ is unable to respond.

Heat ruses over Dan, a large burst of orange filling his peripheral vision. Fire spirals outwards, splitting into two as a gust of winder pushes through it. The beam moves, crashing into Chris’ counter attack. It continues through, dispersing it completing. The flames lose control, char marks scorching the ground.

In a split second the wind picks up, whipping at tremendous speed towards Chris in a strong blue glow. It crashes into him, knocking him backwards. Chris falls through the air, slightly upwards.

Dan’s eyes widen. It happens in slow motion. Chris hits the tree. His back directly hitting the bottom of the tree trunk. His head whips back on the impact, crashing into the bark. He falls onto the ground, collapsing onto his side.

“ _CHRIS!”_ Dan’s voice screams out. Phil freezes up beside him. The wind is pulled out from his lungs. A large body of water moves towards Chris’ opponent. Dan doesn’t think, a large pointed broken branch on the ground floats on its own accord in a similar fashion towards Phil’s. It hits his opponent, head on, the pointed end sticking his hand at tremendous speed. It breaks through the skin, piercing the flesh on his upper right arm a second before he is swept up by water. The water washes over him, strong streams pushing him into the ground. They continue relentlessly, pushing him along the ground.

The water pools around him, draining onto the floor; red seeping into it from the injury.

The guy momentarily clenches his forearm, blood covering his Tee-shirt. The water wraps around his hands, freezing in a tight restraint, locking his arms and legs security in place. He collapses flat onto the floor, breath wheezing out in heavy rasps.

“Chris.”

PJ’s voice calls out.

Dan glances at Chris, who lays motionless on the ground. Phil is running towards him and Dan can hear his own heartbeat within his ears.

“It’s over for him.”

Freezing, Dan’s eyes widen. A black aura surrounds the man, covering his entire body. It pulsates around him, as though it is moving on its own, an individual entity. The aura appears around Chris, consuming his body in the same way. Phil jolts backwards, his hands hovering just above the ominous black colour surrounding his friend.

Stomach twisting, the bile rises in Dan’s throat.

“He’s not breathing.”

Phil almost screams the words.

“Die in a dream, die in real life.”

His words are twisted, laced with a kind of sickness Dan has never heard before. He can’t move, the fear and panic causing through his veins freezing him completely.

“ _Chris.”_

PJ’s voice booms. Dan feels the power course through his own body, washing over him in a sensation he has never felt before. His eyes lock onto PJs. Breath catching in Dan’s throat as he watches. His eyes are glowing, bright green. Shining in an inhuman way. A green glow flashes into his vision, blinding him for a moment as it surrounds PJ. It pulsates, engulfing him entirely.

It pulsates once more, before spreading. The glow surrounds Chris, lacing onto his skin. It beats out, over-taking the darkness that had moments ago consumed him and illuminating him in the bright green glow.

A piercing scream fills the air, jolting Dan back into reality. It lasts for a single second, before silence consuming the area again.

Dan watches as he falls to the ground, eye flashing the same green as PJ’s before turning to black. It lasts about as long as the scream, before it fades away.

A thud echoes, the man laying unmoving on the floor.

PJ’s eyes close for a split second, blinking. The glow fades, ebbing away almost as quickly as it came. Flashing away before their very sight. His chest heave, panting in slightly ragged breaths. The surge of foreign power disappears, leaving Dan’s body completely.

Phil speaks, the tone of his voice mixed. “PJ?”

His eyes are locked onto Chris, whose chest is moving again.

Relief floods through Dan’s veins.

“He’s okay,” Phil practically whispers. “He’s breathing again. Unconscious but- PJ how did you?”

PJ’s voice is tight as he answers. “I don’t really know. I just, it’s as though my powers took control. It coursed through me in a way I’ve never felt before. He was inside Chris’ head. Almost Physically. It’s hard to describe but I could see it- see them. He was suffocating Chris in his dream.”

All eyes follow PJ’s. Landing on the body.

“Is he…?”

PJ’s shakes his head.

“I blocked him out, but in the process, it trapped him in his own dream. He’s stuck. He’s not going to wake up.”

The words echo inside Dan’s head. 

PJ’s voice changes, threatening in a way Dan has never heard it before.

“That could have been you.”

Elisha and the green-eyed man freeze, PJ’s words washing over them. The water unfreezes, the restraints Phil formally placed on them reverting back to their original form.

Elisha nods once, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

He doesn’t need to say anymore. Dan knows exactly what it means, and so do they.

“Dan?” Phil asks. “Do you think you could help carry Chris?”

The adrenalin kicks in again, a reminder to Dan’s system. Chris is still unconscious and they need to get him out. He nods once, heading over behind PJ who is already making long strides towards his boyfriend’s body.

PJ carefully places an arm under his body, pulling Chris up onto his side. He drapes an arm over his shoulder supporting it with his right hand. The other wraps around his waist. Dan follows in suit, copying PJ’s movements on the other side of Chris’ body.

He anchors his power, using his telekinesis to help lift the dead weight of his friend.

Two pairs of eye follow them, unmoving from their spot on the ground. Phil falls into step beside Dan, letting out a small sign as they make it back onto the path, surrounded by trees.

Chris groans, his head rolling forwards slightly.

“He’s going to have a killer head ache,” Phil murmurs.

Dan lets out a laugh, and Phil looks at him strangely. Suddenly, all the tension drains from his shoulders. All Dan wants to do is lean across and kiss him.

Which is harder than it sounds given Chris’ close proximity.

Smile on his lips, Dan does it anyway.

 


	29. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. The Epilogue! It really hasn't sunk in yet. I somehow managed to write an entire story. Excuse me while I pinch myself a few times. 
> 
> Like I said last chapter. Thank you all so SO much for reading and commenting and giving me Kudos. I never, ever imagined to get as much love and support for this story as I have. So seriously, thank you! 
> 
> Oh, and did I mention there will be some one-shots in the future for this universe? Because that's a thing. The Ethereal Universe is not completely over yet (read: i'm too attached to my own make-believe universe to actually let go). So if anyone has anything in particular they would like me to write about, shoot me a message on tumblr. I'm always open to suggestions and inspiration. 
> 
> As always, enjoy :)

“Okay, wait so. You’re telling me that PJ went all glow-y and like, anime style epic. Whilst I was completely unconscious. And you failed to mention this until now, literally a week later…because? Like, excuse me but I think that’s kind of fucking _important detail to mention._ ”

Chris’ voice calls out across the room. He has a slightly exasperated look on his face, arms flailing around with a bit too much emphasis.

“Why’s it important?” Phil asks. He reaches forward, grabbing the slice of pizza set out in the middle of the lounge room. His hand tugs on Dan’s as he leans forward, fingers grasped together.

“It’s kind of hot, like, I can just imagine what he would have looked like. Damn. I think that’s something I should have been told sooner.”

Chris chucks PJ a suggestive smirk, wiggling his eyebrow twice. Dan has the urge to throw the slice of pizza at him. It’d be a bit of a waste though, even if the end result of a pissed of Chris would probably be worth the sacrifice.

“Keep your kinks to yourself,” Dan warns. “There is so much information about your sex life that I could have happily lived my entire life without knowing.”

Phil laughs beside him, halfway through a bite of pizza. He lets of a slight chocking noise, attempting to swallow around his laughter.

“He is literally incapable of keeping his mouth shut,” PJ murmurs, shaking his head. Dan can see the smallest tug of a smile on the corner of PJ’s lips.

“That’s not what you were saying last night.”

PJ groans, any previous amusement instantly leaving. Dan also manages to choke on his food in a slightly undignified way.

“For the love of God.”

Chris smirks, eyes gleaming. “Hmmmhmm, that’s a little more like it. Keep going, you’ll get there eventually.”

Dan chucks his shoe at him, landing perfectly on target as it whacks Chris directly in the middle of the forehead. He can see the mass look of satisfaction amongst his friends faces.

Phil laughs as Chris rubs his head with a slightly dejected look. “Seriously, using telekinesis is not okay. It’s legitimately cheating. No one actually can have that level of accuracy normally.”

Dan shrugs, smiling. “Don’t make yourself such an easy target then.”

“I’m pretty sure everything is a relatively easy target when you can, you know, move things with your mind.” Phil points out. Chris gives an enthusiastic nod. He chucks the shoe back towards Dan only to have freeze in mid-air and fall just short of him, hitting the carpet with a small thump.

“Cheater,” he mumbles, picking absentmindedly at a slice of pepperoni as he comes to terms with his small defeat.

Dan grins, winking at Chris as an added mock insult.

He shifts his attention back to the couch, the movie capturing everyone’s attention as they chow down on the delicious and greasy food in front of him. He moves, fingers releasing this hold with Phil’s own. Phil gives him a sideways glance, looking at him questionably. Dan stretches out, arm reaching over Phil’s shoulders and tugging him against his side.

Grinning, Phil complies, soft smile on his lips as he goes back with watching the film. Both of them ignore Chris as he makes mock gagging noising from the other sofa.

He glances to the side, fifteen minutes or so later. PJ and Chris are sprawled out in a similar scenario to Dan’s and Phil’s own. Chris’ back presses into PJ’s chest, legs hanging of the end of the couch. Dan smirks, mimicking Chris’ earlier remarks with a small gag of his own. PJ smiles from his position, eyes never leaving the screen, arm rubbing his wrist before placing his hand on top of his boyfriends. Chris moves against PJs chest in his own small protest to Dan’s remark. Pretending to make himself more comfortable.

Dan laughs, head shaking as he looks away. He doesn’t think he would have his friends any other way.

-

When he craws into bed later. Phil cuddled up by his side. The world seems smaller. Safer. He sighs, pushing himself further into the warm body beside him.

He listens to Phil’s breathing beside him, luring him into sleep. Chris’ faint snore can be heard from the room over. His head tucks again Phil’s own, arm draped around his waist.

Everything’s changed. The weight’s gone from his shoulders; vanished into thin air like it never even existed.

There’s a smile on his face, lips pressed right up against Phil’s skin.

And right now, in this moment, he has never been happier about breaking his equivalent exchange. Cardinal rule be dammed.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And if you wish really, really, really hard. There might even be a sequel.


End file.
